Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.
Debates of Feb. 22nd, 2002
This is page numbers 89 - 119 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.
Topics
Further Return To Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
Supplementary To Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
Michael McLeod Deh Cho
Thank you. Given that answer, I would like to ask for some clarity on whether the Minister plans to meet with the communities and go through the response procedures and emergency measures?
Supplementary To Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Handley.
Further Return To Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to meet with the representatives of the communities along the route where these goods travel to explain to them how the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act works. I certainly want to talk to my colleague, the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, to either have him or his officials come along as well to deal with storage and transportation at the same time. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
Supplementary To Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
Michael McLeod Deh Cho
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue is difficult, as indicated earlier, because it affects several different departments that have different degrees of responsibility when it comes to dangerous goods. I would like to know if this government could look at streamlining this whole handling of dangerous goods and storage in the communities. I do not believe this is the best way to handle this whole issue by having different responsibilities in different areas.
Would this government look at a one-stop shop kind of process, so that communities can go and have their questions answered, know the regulations and know who is policing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Supplementary To Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation, Mr. Handley.
Further Return To Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Speaker, yes, we will look at that. It may be difficult to try to amalgamate the transportation of dangerous goods legislation and the storage of dangerous goods legislation and provisions. I am sure that between the two departments, we will be able to come up with a good common language explanation on how this works and have that in place for the next trucking season. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Question 45-14(5): Transport And Storage Of Ammonium Nitrate
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. It is regarding this government's position on the Kyoto agreement and what has happened with global warming.
There is a meeting that is going to take place next week with the federal, provincial and territorial Ministers on the environment. The issue they will be discussing is the area of global warming.
I would like to ask the Minister, does this government have a position regarding the Kyoto agreement and global warming?
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.
Return To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
February 21st, 2002
Page 95
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this climate change is a big issue for us in the North. Our elders are telling us that they are seeing a lot of changes, and certainly to the whole development of the climate change issue throughout the world, we have been following it and have been very supportive of the Kyoto Protocol.
Our position as a government is that we support global and local action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. That is the position of this government. Global action includes the Kyoto Protocol as well. Thank you.
Return To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
Supplementary To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the ways that industrial nations are trying to get around the Kyoto agreement is using things which are known as carbon sinks, and they say, "Well, we can generate pollution but we also have carbon sinks. We have this much forest, this much vegetation, and because of that it generates oxygen." That is what the argument is. Does this government have a position on carbon sinks?
Supplementary To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.
Further Return To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 95
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you. We have natural forests in the Northwest Territories, so we do not have that kind of a problem with the whole debate on carbon sinks, meaning that there are problems in the south, in southern Canada, in the States, where there are no trees. It is just agricultural land. What the concern there is and what they want to do is they want to plant forests. We do not need to do that. We already have forests, so we do not have that problem up here. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
Supplementary To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the whole idea of carbon sinks is for those nations to continue doing what they are doing right now, which is to continue to pollute the atmosphere and do nothing to react to global warming. I think this government should have a position about carbon sinks because that is the cause of global warming. We cannot find loopholes in the environment. The environment in the North is sensitive as it is, and for them to come up with the idea of carbon sinks is probably going to have a greater effect, or there will be less action taken on global warming.
Does the Minister have a position on those jurisdictions who want to use that as the basis for their argument, such as Alberta?
Supplementary To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.
Further Return To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we agree that the countries that do not have forests and want to deal with the global warming issue by creating forests to deal with the carbon dioxide emissions, that is the purpose of carbon sinks, to do that.
There are also problems in the agricultural area where they are depleting the carbon in the soil through agricultural use. That is a very complicated area for us. We up here in the North, we are a very small player in this whole issue. However, we are very concerned about it because whatever happens globally regarding the warming of the atmosphere has a big effect on us up here in the Northwest Territories.
Our position is that we would be supporting and encouraging our federal government to go ahead and work towards the ratification of the Kyoto Accord. I understand that in developing our positions, the federal government will be listening to views of people in Canada, including the northern stakeholders and residents. The federal government will do a consultation process up here. From that, the federal government will be developing a position.
At this point in time we are encouraging and supporting the initiative of the federal government to go ahead and move ahead with the commitment they have made to sign the Kyoto Protocol eventually. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
Supplementary To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister, can this government table our position on the Kyoto agreement and the position on global warming in this House?
Supplementary To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.
Further Return To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we could do that. I would like to go to this meeting in B.C. this weekend and listen to the joint Ministers of energy and the environment. This Kyoto Accord would be the topic of discussions. I understand that our federal counterparts are having a lot of concern about the cost of implementing protocol in their jurisdictions because of industry costs and so forth. It would be interesting to find out what is going on at that level. Certainly we have come out with a position. We have the NWT Greenhouse Strategy that we are developing. That deals with support for issues and global warming initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Question 46-14(5): Kyoto Protocol On Climate Change
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 96
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.