Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to make a few comments in a couple of different areas of responsibility that come under RWED. First of all, I want to voice my disappointment over how oil and gas had been handled in the Deh Cho. Since I was elected two years ago, I have voiced, on many occasions, in committees and in this House, that there is a need for training. There is a need for people at the community level to provide expertise and provide advice. Everyone knew that we would be looking at oil and gas development in the immediate future.

This year we have gone through the permitting process with no involvement and no help from RWED. We had confirmation two years ago that there would be oil and gas specialists put in the different areas in the North, one in the south located in Fort Simpson and one in Inuvik. We have not seen those, at least we have not seen the one that was supposed to be located in the Deh Cho. We are left with really no resources, except for one business loans officer that was given the title of oil and gas specialist. It was not fair to him. Really his specialty is in the development of proposals and loans. He is more of a banker, and his expertise is in that area. He is not familiar with oil and gas.

As this process proceeded, an application went in and we were left with no resources at the community level and no funding for any advisors. A lot of technical information was thrown on the table, thrown on the desks, and thrown in meeting rooms in front of the chiefs, the Metis locals and hamlets with no real methodology to deal with it, to even understand it. That was what we were up against.

Some communities have spent close to $100,000 hiring lawyers. Money that they do not have so that we could make sense of this. And why? Because RWED did not follow through with some of their commitments. There has been a scramble to try to make sense of all this different legislation and different regulatory bodies out there. There are about six bodies out there with each taking partial responsibility depending where the ball is in the court. They either pass the buck or throw their two cents in there and nobody will really take it by the horns.

The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board made recommendations that we thought would work in our favour. They talked about compensation plans and made other points. However, when it was referred to INAC, INAC referred it to the territorial government who had no policy to deal with these things. The question was raised with the Minister and he stated that they cannot enforce these things. It is this government that is campaigning for oil and gas development. It is this government that is promoting pipelines. At the community level they do not have the resources. They are not ready unless this government provides the resources.

You cannot on one hand say, "We want oil and gas development, bring it on." and then leave the communities holding the bag. That is totally unfair. There is no oil and gas specialist that we were promised. I will say that once again. There is nobody enforcing. When our own government, people from RWED, throw up their hands and say that it is not their responsibility, then who takes the responsibility? We let the federal government regulations play out, unfold and they are not followed?

There is an obligation to present the community benefits plan, that has really little in it however, there is an obligation to present that to each community. That was never done. Where do we go? There was an obligation to do a traditional knowledge study. That was never done. That was never presented. In fact, some of these documents are supposed to be in the hands of the Minister and I gather that he does not have them, at least not from his answers in question period.

We do not see any training plans. The Government of the Northwest Territories was notified two years ago that we have to start training before oil and gas hits. Now we are scrambling to find training dollars. We are scrambling to find enough floor hands to fill the demands that are being placed by the oil companies. We do not have enough people to meet that demand. We are putting on safety training after safety training trying to squeeze everything into one year. Those things should have been done, if not by this government then at least by the oil company.

I am certainly disappointed that we have not been able to force the oil company to come to agreement on a participation agreement. I think that is something that should be required from every company that deals in oil and gas. It is certainly something that this government was quick to address when it came to diamond companies. Why is the same consideration not given to oil and gas companies? They are both resource development companies. In fact, this government put up millions of dollars to ensure that those agreements were honoured.

I am very disappointed and not happy with what is interpreted as consultation. I think there has to be a definition of what is considered adequate consultation with the communities. There is a duty here that RWED has to recognize. RWED is the department that is responsible for resources, wildlife and economic development, and you cannot ask the communities to tell us what you want. It is fine to continue to say it over and over again when current legislation is not being followed and when we do not have the resources in the communities to hire people to put these things together. Where do we go? RWED is the department that has the people on the ground and they have to start picking up the slack. If it is not adequate, then we have to start seeing more people hired that can do it.

I have asked the Minister to pass on these concerns to the Minister, but I would like to see him do more than that. I would like to see him stand up and defend us, and stand up to the federal government and state that this territorial government wants to see certain things in place, and we are going to put certain legislation in place. It is not good enough for us to just stand back, throw our hands in the air and say, "When devolution comes then we will deal with it." If that is the case, then this government should not be promoting oil and gas if they are not going to help the communities to deal with oil and gas.

I have other questions regarding campgrounds. My concern again is that there has to be campground development and campground expansion. There has to be proper and adequate consultation with the communities. We have a current problem in the community of Enterprise. There is concern there. We have a problem in the community of Fort Providence. I think that we as MLAs have to play a bigger role when it comes to addressing priorities within our own ridings. I am very tired and frustrated to have to be chasing down the dollars of where the campground projects are, and having to explain to the communities why one campground is taking precedence over another, especially when they have had community meetings and were led to believe that things were in order.

Another issue that I would like to touch on is the issue of ammonium nitrate stored in the community of Enterprise. They are still very upset with the fact that no one has informed them. There are many departments that deal with the issue of dangerous goods. However, RWED is the one that deals with the environment.

I would like to see some of these issues dealt with at the community level. I can only bring it up so many times in this House without... I mean, the department has to respond. They have to go into the communities. They have to follow up on our concerns. I see I am out of time, Mr. Chairman.