I did do some research on it and boosting the signal, we just need a weak signal, boosting the signal is actually an $800 investment for the signal booster. I think the process here is now we need a tower to put that booster on, that’s where the bigger costs come in. Can the Minister work with his Cabinet colleagues to see how the government can support such an expenditure to increase the signal towards the Fort Simpson Airport? Thank you.

We certainly can engage with the folks that provide the service in Fort Simpson to see what is required and to see what we have in terms of inventory that may be suitable for an expansion or to allow for the booster to be mounted on.

Right at this point we don’t have it in our budget to buy a tower. Having said that, I’m not sure we would invest in a tower that involves communications. I can certainly commit to the Member that I will have a discussion with my officials and we’ll maybe sit down with the Member and get whatever information he’s got to have that discussion with NorthwesTel or whoever the provider is in Fort Simpson.

I’m pleased that the Minister is willing to at least sit down, engage in discussion, and, he’s right, there may be some possibility if there is some inventory around. I’m not sure what size of tower is needed but, once again, if the Minister would follow up with his officials, make contact with NorthwesTel to see how we can make this a reality for the safe travelling of the public in Fort Simpson and travellers flying into Fort Simpson.

I think I already committed to doing that. I’ll say it again; we will follow up with the Member and gather the information that we think is required and relevant to the situation, and get back to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The recent news has been replete with stories detailing federal plans to cut 776 Environment Canada jobs and slash the department’s budget from $1.1 billion to $883 million by 2014. This was preceded by years of declining support for Environment Canada, and Minister Flaherty assures us this is just the beginning of the cuts. I’d like to ask the Minister of the Environment how these cuts will affect Environment Canada’s operations in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had opportunity to talk to Minister Kent when he was here a number of weeks ago. These cuts are going to be felt across the land. They’re going to be felt in the Northwest Territories.

Specifically, I sent information out, for example, on the closing of water monitoring sites where we have 23 and they’re closing 21; all 10 in Nunavut, two on the boundaries between Nunavut and Northwest Territories that are important. They’re going to discontinue monitoring through national parks. There’s no monitoring on the Mackenzie River. There’s a whole list of implications for us. We are negotiating devolution based on what was there and is now gone. We have the transboundary agreements that we’re negotiating where water monitoring is essential. There were promises made by the federal government when they released their plan to put a panel in at the oil sands.

Going forward there are also clear obligations in land claims to provide and protect water, keeping it substantially unaltered is very clear in there. In fact, it’s so clear we used that statement in our Water Strategy. The federal government is a signatory of our Water Strategy that speaks to protecting and doing all the good things we’re supposed to do. This is going to have a significant impact.

Thanks for the bad news that the Minister has provided there. It sounds pretty grim. Many of the environmental monitoring functions performed by Environment Canada are referred to as mandated requirements. Meaning if the federal Minister issues a licence or authority with conditions requiring regulatory agencies to monitor compliance, the federal government is legally obligated to provide the resource necessary to carry out the monitoring. This legal compulsion would presumably govern the monitoring

requirements arising out of authorities granted for the operation of our mines, the Mackenzie Gas Project, and so forth. When the specifics of the cuts are announced, will this government be doing a cross-check to see whether the cuts cripple the federal ability to meet its mandated monitoring responsibilities?

Yes. As the cuts proceed, as the federal government continues with its deficit reduction plans, we’ll be monitoring, as we are right now, the impact of what we know, what we’ve heard, what the actual final configuration looks like and who’s left after the cuts are concluded.

As we negotiate devolution, we started devolution negotiations at a certain point in time with certain resources available. Clearly, there’s been a change or will have been a change. We’re going to have to adapt as we go on down that road as well. At the same time we are going to see what we can do and how do we adjust so that we can keep moving and make sure the federal government -- which still has, until we sign the Devolution Agreement, legal responsibility for the land and water -- honours its obligations to us.

I appreciate the Minister’s remarks. The recent Hill Times I think was the 8th of

August item quotes a federal spokesman as saying that the department will ensure the department is spending its resources on priorities like improving air quality and cleaner water. Those are nice words. Our Minister of Environment, though modest in stature, clearly throws a big shadow. Will the Minister be holding the federal government to task if their gutting of the department doesn’t live up to this dialogue?

I’m sure the Member’s not calling me fat, so I won’t take offence to that comment.

I would suggest this Assembly and, of course, more importantly, the 17th Assembly is going to have to

deal with a number of significant issues like this as we move forward with devolution and as we move forward with the deficit reduction impacts that we’re going to feel over the next three or four years coming out of the federal government. There’s going to be some difficult circumstances and money is going to be a priority issue both to us and as we negotiate arrangements with the federal government to honour the mandates and the federal responsibilities that they have, and to ensure that what programs we take over in fact meet the obligation that was initially signed as we laid out the AIP where there were numbers laid out for A-based funding and such and the numbers of positions. So I would say to the Member that we are all collectively going to have a responsibility so that when an MLA or Minister stands up to do his job or her job, that they know that the Legislative

Assembly is there and what they’re saying is pushing forward the position of this Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s comments again. I certainly hope that the 17th Assembly will be

standing firm and be prepared to do that work. However, I understand the Prime Minister will be in town this week to demonstrate his devotion to northern interests and will be meeting with the Premier. Can the Minister assure me that our dismay at any erosion of Environment Canada monitoring programming in the NWT will be brought forcefully to the attention of the Prime Minister?

That is a question best put to the Premier. I would indicate to the Member that, of course, the opportunity will be taken full advantage of and that the Premier will be speaking on issues of great significant importance to the people of the Northwest Territories.

If there are any questions about that particular issue, I would suggest that the Premier would be best suited to respond.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Minister for the most recent remarks and follow up on his advice and ask the Premier if indeed this issue will be brought forcefully to the Prime Minister’s attention when he has the opportunity to meet with him this week.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The process we’ve been engaged in, number one, we have a meeting of the three northern Premiers to get together to discuss a pan-territorial approach to the opportunity to sit down with the Prime Minister. Following that, we also, from a Government of the Northwest Territories perspective, looked at our initiatives that are underway and highlighted some areas of concern for discussion with the Prime Minister purely from the Northwest Territories perspective. The AIP and devolution is a big part of that and, of course, any impacts that the federal government will be making on decisions on that eventual turnover is of concern to us.

We’ve gone through a process. I have yet to sit down with the other two northern Premiers to talk about our approach on a pan-territorial level. From a Government of the Northwest Territories

perspective, we do have a number of areas. The environment is always a big factor when we talk about those issues and how it fits with the devolution package as well.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The time for question period has expired. Item 8, written questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5 on the orders of the day, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

---Unanimous consent granted

We’ll return to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to recognize my lovely wife and my lovely supporter. I want to recognize her for being here in the gallery to see us work and to be here supporting me.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.