Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On the Department of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, I want to make a few comments, especially on the area of the northern accord - the oil, gas and mineral accord - which this department has been working in. I understand the reasoning behind the need for a northern accord as a potential way of financing our government in the future.
We are in a very difficult situation here with the different aboriginal groups. Some of them have land claim agreements, some don't, and some are working on it presently. So it's a very difficult area in which to try and get an accord. I represent an area where there are no claims, and the people in that area are working towards making arrangements with the federal government. So as a Dene myself, we consider that land ours and the resources on it as ours as well. We haven't extinguished any of our aboriginal treaty rights to any of the lands and waters in our area. So that is the premise of where the group is coming from. Other claimant groups have made an arrangement to let the territorial government be responsible for that area, so they have an arrangement worked out already. I guess if everybody had an arrangement it would be easier to go ahead with it simply, because the territorial government has the responsibility to do it. But in this area here, it is a difficult situation because a couple of groups in the southwestern territories do not yet have an agreement. They are presently working on it, and the quicker they settle their discussions with the federal government, the better.
I think that to expedite things this government should help and give all the support they can to this group to sit down with the federal government to expedite their discussions because this whole northern accord is tied in and linked to that discussion. There are different departments who are working with this group. The aboriginal affairs group should especially be working with this group to try to seek ways on how they can expedite their discussions with the federal government. In the constitutional discussion of January, there was consensus that parallel processes should continue between the development of the constitution and bilateral arrangements between the aboriginal groups and the federal government. That was a direction that came out of the conference and this government should work with this group to try to expedite this area.
With that in mind, I know the Minister has been successful in arranging two meetings with aboriginal groups to date and there is an understanding that they would continue to work together. I'm glad of that. This should continue, there should be openness. To get to the point, I would like to know at what stage would that no longer apply. Will all the groups continue to be involved until an arrangement is made? I would like to urge the Minister to try to continue this process because it is very important.
I, too, went along to Africa with the Minister on his invitation. I gladly accepted the invitation. It was a real eye-opener to me because I don't know anything about mining. I'm in an area where there isn't much mining, although there is potential for it in the area. This diamond mine is a really good opportunity for people in the north. I like the arrangement they have in Namibia and Botswana where the government owns half the mine and taxes the other half. If we could come to that arrangement, I would fully support it 100 per cent.
---Laughter
That is one good arrangement that other countries are able to achieve. I know the benefit that the government of those countries have from that kind of an arrangement.
My colleague, Mr. Ballantyne, says that the modern mine in Venetia comprised of a hole in gravel, but he didn't say it was a big hole and there was a big pile of gravel. That's what we have to contend with. In the SCOF report, we recommended that this department, along with the Department of Renewable Resources coordinate their efforts to have a unified approach at the hearings of the environmental assessment review panel and make presentations as well as respond to any intervenors. I think I would like to give that direction again and reiterate to the Minister that if that could be accomplished, it would certainly help the situation.
The other area of concern is alternate energy. I know that not only hydro produces power, there are other means used in other parts of the world such as wind. I know in the past there was talk of having power harnessed from nuclear sources like slowpoke reactors and so forth. I don't know if this department is looking into that or if there was there any thought by this department to look in that direction.
Today we know that whenever you put in a hydro dam, there are a lot of repercussions. We are hearing from our colleague, Mr. Pudlat, that the Great Whale River Dam is polluting the area of the Hudson Bay and James Bay. Whenever you put in a dam, environmental problems result. Sure, it generates power and that is what you need, but at the same time, the by-product is that there is a detriment to the environment. The people of the north use a lot of food from the land, such as fish, sea mammals, caribou and moose, and these animals are affected by environmental hazards so we have to be considerate of that.
I'm just wondering if the department should look into this area to see what the possibilities are. I know this is going to cause concern in different parts of the north but we have to be realistic as well. Those are my comments, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.