Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks also to the Minister. In listening to the answer, I have to say that it sounds to me as though we want to hide things, and I would hope that’s not the intent. If we have to get a report and massage the report before it can be made public, I’d like to ask the Minister if this is the reason: we want to make sure that we’re putting out the information that we want out there as opposed to what’s reported on the report.

Again, we’re not hiding stuff within our department or government. This is an area that we want to make sure and clarify whoever’s the consultant, having the same messaging. Recommendations brought forward may not be the same recommendations brought forward by the general public and also the department. We have to work together on this. We’re not hiding anything, but it will be tabled in the House before session ends.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Premier questions on the recent omnibus bill in Ottawa and the impacts it could have in the

Northwest Territories, especially on devolution and the regulatory reforms, and other acts such as the Fisheries Act, that it would make some changes in the Northwest Territories. I want to ask the Premier if he had his Cabinet do an analysis of this bill that’s coming, that’s actually being debated in the House in Ottawa.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The omnibus bill is a very thick document and we have our analysts pouring through it to find out what the implications of the various sections of it are for the Northwest Territories. We expect to be able to report back to committee by this Friday.

Actually, that document is a little over 450 pages. It’s like they’re throwing everything at us and putting some very significant changes to that bill here.

I want to ask the Premier if he has some ideas or strategies as to if this bill here, parts of this bill will significantly change our relationship with the federal government and how we do business in the Northwest Territories. Is he willing to look at a strategy of how we can probably, or how we can deal with some of the issues that will come forward from this bill?

When we get the information we can sit down and see how we can approach this. I believe with a majority government at this late stage it would be very difficult to change the course of events because it’s in front of Parliament and they’ll be voting on it.

The Premier outlined some hard facts for us to consider. He also indicated that the power is in Ottawa here.

I want to ask the Premier, other than knowing these facts here, has he or his Cabinet given any thought to how we can deal with some of these significant changes that will possibly be coming to the Northwest Territories regarding this bill.

As I said, we’re analyzing the bill. We’ll have to see what the implications are. The Government of Canada has indicated that a lot of the changes are being done to make for a more efficient and effective regulatory process without sacrificing any of the environmental impacts or providing for additional Aboriginal participation. We will review the omnibus bill and then we will share our findings with committee. We’re very open to discussing an approach on how to deal with it.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The main bill was passed last June, so we had ample time to analyze it, and at this late stage I want to ask the Premier why was this time here given such

at the end of the line as to how do we respond to some of the changes that are going to be coming down to the Northwest Territories.

The detail that has been provided on the omnibus bill, this is the first time we’ve seen it.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to ask some questions on disaster compensation to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, only because that some of the replacement items belong to hunters and trappers in the community of Nahanni Butte. I’m actually a little bit confused, though. I thought disaster compensation for that horrible flood in Nahanni Butte would be under MACA, but it looks like ITI has taken over some of the hunters’ and trappers’ skidoos, chainsaws and quads that got damaged. Recently, three residents were denied assistance to replace those items.

I’d like to ask the Minister of ITI what kind of a hunters’ and trappers’ compensation policy we have. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a harvesters Disaster Compensation Program that’s allotted $15,000 on an annual basis. It has a maximum of $4,500 per applicant. I understand the Member’s concern, and I had the opportunity to visit the community of Nahanni Butte with the Premier and the Member just after the flood had occurred. Certainly, the residents of Nahanni Butte need the government’s assistance. If there are, as the Member indicated, a few people that have concerns, that’s something that we’re willing to sit down with the Member and the community to discuss how we can get them assistance.

Certainly, in this case in Nahanni Butte, it was an act of God. It was a new issue. I was over at the Dehcho leadership meeting and the chief and the band manager from Nahanni Butte brought this to my attention. But some of the parameters, some of the guidelines are making it difficult for people to claim damaged hunting and trapping equipment. I’d just like to ask the Minister of ITI: Can he review this, because there must be a way around it?

Yes, I’ve given a commitment to the Member that we will take a look at the situation in Nahanni. I’ve also got the policy

here with me. Sometimes when things like this happen, they don’t necessarily conform to the policy that’s there, and we need to take a look at how best to help those residents in Nahanni that need assistance, both the hunters and trappers.

Certainly, a community like this that experiences disaster, the community is still not together and the last thing you’ve got to give them is guidelines, procedures and reasons why we cannot help them.

I’d like to ask the Minister one more time: Will he review these certain instances and see if he can help the residents that have lost small personal gas equipment that would help them with their harvesting, hunting and trapping?

Again, I thank the Member for raising the concern on behalf of the community and the residents in Nahanni. It certainly is something I’ve committed to already, and I commit again to the Member to sit down and review the situation and try to find the assistance that’s necessary to help those folks out in Nahanni Butte.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7 on our orders of the day, oral questions.

---Unanimous consent denied

Item 8, written questions. Mr. Menicoche.