What? Five? I was just getting started.
Again Section 15(11) and 15(12) talks about resource revenue sharing agreements which they talk about setting aside 50 percent of those royalties.
The other issue that people have raised is the issue of what happens to the $500 million that the federal government was going to set aside for training for the duration of the pipeline and into future years. What effect would that have with the exclusion of the 50 percent set aside in royalty revenues for those type of royalty trust so we can fund those types of programs? More importantly, the transitional plan in regards to the responsibility of how we will see the transition from development, post-development and also in regards to future developments. Also in regards to the area, the royalty revenue sharing arrangements, Section 12(13) talks about the Northwest Territories identifying and allocating specific portions of the share of the non-resource to fund the mechanisms established pursuant to the panel recommendations in 12(15) in regards to how those are going to be. Again, that has been excluded from this report and by excluding that, it takes away the understanding that people have had that groups and territories will have a system of sharing of resource revenues and, more importantly, ensuring that they are able to benefit from these types of developments, but more importantly, protect the future well-being of the people of the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Chairman, moving on to Section 18(21) in regards to future developments, I think that is another one that has been excluded and also looking at the potential of other resource potential areas in the Northwest Territories to tie into this pipeline and also ensuring that there will be specific audits done in the future to audit this development and, more importantly, to ensure that there is a public process in place to ensure that there is an oversight of those responsibilities. The one that alarms me the most is Chapter 19, it talks about sustainable and net contributions from this pipeline and also the requirements of governments in regards to the federal government, the Government of the Northwest Territories to file these reports in regards to the general public in regards to the general recommendation ensuring that the recommendations that have been put forward will have an audited system by way of annual reports to the Parliament and also to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories and the federal government. I think that it is important that we do find ways to mitigate this arrangement, but more importantly, ensuring that the well-being of the groups are protected.
Again, Mr. Chairman, one of the other areas that I know they excluded the part dealing with the woodland caribou. As we all know, woodland caribou are presently being classified as endangered species. But also in Section 10(15), which again was taken out of the report, it talks about the future development of polar bears. I think we realize the threat the polar bears are under in
regards to climate change and future oil and gas developments, either in the offshore or Beaufort Sea will have on polar bears and the affects that will have with regard to this report.
Again, Mr. Chair, I think my quick oversight of some of the recommendations that have been identified, it clearly illustrates... I don’t think the public really understands the importance of these exclusions or rejections of these 28 recommendations. Just touching on a couple of those recommendations clearly illustrates the importance of these recommendations to the people I serve and, more importantly the harvesters, the people who do make their livelihood through harvesting off the land, the importance of the caribou, the importance of the waterways and the importance of the future developments in light of what’s happening in southern Canada with the major overhaul of the Fort McMurray requirements and what’s going on with the oil spill.
Again, it’s important to realize that we have not done justice to this report by simply gutting it and taking out the aspects and important elements of this by removing 28 recommendations. That really doesn’t do justice to the work that has been done, the public’s involvement in consultation and making their issues heard and not really taking them serious. Thank you.