This is page numbers 3107 – 3152 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 4th 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 going.

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

That is the challenge before us as the Member articulates. But clearly, at this point our focus is on getting our thinking clear on the guidance we need to provide as a government when it comes to best practices of unconventional hydraulic fracturing. Then we have to work, as well, just to see what’s going to happen at the exploration stage. If things prove out and we start moving into the fact being a producing field, then clearly the work and those questions the Member has posed will be the part of the grist for the millet of environmental assessments, the timing on intensity, pace, all those critical issues, how do we factor in cumulative impact. As we move forward, those are the things we’re going to have to put our minds to. We’ve started doing that already. We’re taking over with devolution and we’re going to have cumulative impact resources coming over from the federal government and we are going to be working with the regulatory processes and our own officials to plan both for the exploration that’s happening, as well, casting our eyes to the future. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also have questions today for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources in regard to my opening Member’s statement on the Peel River watershed and the Peel River itself. I want to ask the Minister what is the department’s position in this cause to

protect the Peel. What is the department’s position on this? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back in 1997 there was a transboundary master agreement signed between a number of jurisdictions: the federal government, the territorial government, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon. One of the conditions in that agreement was that there were supposed to be bilaterals negotiated between all of the jurisdictions. We are hard at work and very close to completing our negotiations with Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C.

The only bilateral that exists is the one between us and the Yukon government, and I’ve been in recent discussions with the Minister of Yukon about the need to update and modernize that bilateral agreement. That whole agreement is focused on integrated watershed management; in this case, where the Peel is. So we’re working with the Yukon government to make sure that we have the proper agreements in place. We’ve indicated and asked the Minister from the Yukon that we should call a meeting to review this bilateral arrangement. We’ve suggested that this meeting take place in Fort McPherson. The first choice of the Yukon government would be to modernize the agreement.

So in that regard, we are very concerned and involved in things that are happening in the Peel. We have staff up there that are involved on a day-to-day basis. So we are paying very close attention across the territory to issues with water in all of the basins and sub-basins. Thank you.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you. I guess the Minister pretty well summed up most of the questions that I was going to ask him.

In terms of this meeting, is there a timeline that’s been specified on when this meeting will happen, because there’s a lot of interested groups, not only the Gwich’in people, but there’s a lot of interested groups that are supporting this campaign. Can the Minister please let me know when this meeting might be taking place if there’s a timeline for that? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you. We agree that there is a lot of work and we acknowledge and recognize there’s a lot of interest in terms of what’s happening in the Peel on our side of the border, but also what’s happening on the western side in the Yukon. So we’ve put in that request. I indicated, in part of my previous answer, that the response from the Yukon government is yes, they know, and they do want to meet, but they would like to have some preliminary discussions about how do we modernize and update the

transboundary agreement. So we’re working with them on that. But I will make sure that we keep the Member and all other Members apprised as we move forward on that issue.

At the same time, we are there on the ground with our staff and we’ve had our own discussions with the Gwich’in government about their concerns and things we have to do together. We have to recognize that a lot of the activity that’s of concern happens in another jurisdiction, which is a really good case in point why we need that bilateral agreement. Thank you.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you. In terms of modernizing the agreement, when can we see a copy of that agreement once it’s in draft form, and is the Gwich’in and the other three Aboriginal groups that are affected in the Peel River watershed, will they have some input into this agreement? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you. As we’ve done our work, first with the Water Strategy – Northern Voices, Northern Waters – we have at every step of the way worked with the Aboriginal governments. We have an Aboriginal Steering Committee with representatives from the Aboriginal governments that have been working with us both in the development of the Water Strategy as well as being involved in the negotiations and providing oversight on that very complex process.

The Alberta agreement, which is nearing completion, there will be about a 90 percent similarity between the key points and elements that are being negotiated in Alberta as there will be in the Yukon agreement. So as we come forward with the Alberta agreement, of course it will be coming back to the Assembly, to the committees, to the public. We’ll review it with the Aboriginal governments. That will give you a very clear example or indication of what we’re looking at as we renew and renegotiate the agreement with the Yukon government. There will be very specific parts that are germane only to the Peel and to the relationship between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories as it pertains to water.

So that information will hopefully be coming available in the next few months as we conclude our agreements with Alberta. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Finance, who is going to be up on his feet again. Strange how that works out some days; one Minister gets them all.

My statement talked about Small Business Week and I mentioned a number of recommendations

from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business to the Government of the Northwest Territories to try and help small business get ahead and to try and lessen some of the imposition on their bottom line. The first one was that our small business tax rate is one of the highest in northern and western Canada and the recommendation from CFIB is that we should reduce taxes to small business and reduce it from 4 percent to zero. That might be a bit over the top, but I would like to ask the Minister what has this government done or what is this government willing to do to reduce tax rates for small business. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve done a significant amount of work to work with small business. We have all of the services provided through the BDIC where we have a capital there, especially available in communities where banking services aren’t necessarily available. We’ve spent a significant amount of money putting in service officers, the one stop shopping, so we’re available to all folks in the communities.

We have, in addition to the regional support and community support provided by ITI and their business arm and the work provided by the BDIC, we have our e-business strategy. We’ve put a BizPal program in place. We do consultations, and we have been doing consultations on the Economic Development Strategy that the Minister of ITI is working on where we’ve gone across the North looking for specific feedback, advice on what things need to be done in terms to have a successful economic strategy. We’ve, as well, been in contact with the chamber. In fact, we’ve also asked the Canadian Federation of Independent Business to give us very specific examples of what type of red tape is there in government that we could look at fixing so that we can become more efficient.

Finally, I point out that as we do this analysis of red tape, we should keep it in mind that every place is not the same, and in the Northwest Territories the amount of regulations we have to run our businesses is half, on average, of what is required in other jurisdictions. That alone is, I think, a significant recognition that while we may have some red tape and obstacles, we are pretty responsible and responsive. Thank you.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks to the Minister for answering my second question and ignoring the first, I think. I did ask the Minister what this government has done to help to reduce taxes for small business. Red tape is also an issue, but I’d like to ask him again, is there any intention of this government to help small business by reducing taxes?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

As a government, we haven’t raised income tax,

corporate taxes, business taxes for well over a decade, and we intend to hold the line on that as well. We have been working very hard not to increase the cost to do business. The tax rate in the Northwest Territories is 4 percent, and that’s worth about $4 million a year. The issue, as we’ve heard in this House as we debate things like capital and the lack of revenue, that if we’re going to consider any kind of revenue offsets lost because of tax cuts, we have to, before we do that, anticipate where we’re going to get that replacement revenue or what programs we would be prepared to cut in order to obtain that tax cut. We’re not in a position nor are we preparing to look at any tax cuts at this point, given the concern about our revenues.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks to the Minister. I realize it’s a double-edged sword. I totally understand if we cut taxes, we’re also going to be cutting our own revenue. I thank the Minister for that response.

With regard to the red tape, it is something which CFIB is on about, not just in the North but I think right across the country, and I appreciate the Minister’s explanation of all the things we do provide. But I believe it was over a year ago that this government, I think, through the Premier, made a statement that we were going to do something about cutting red tape. I didn’t hear from the Minister that we have made any improvement in our red tape. We’ve asked CFIB, but when did we ask them, how long have we been waiting for an answer and what have we done in the interim when we said we would do something?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

I’ve been meeting with the CFIB quite regularly and the general response is just that, a general response or chastisement that we’ve got to do more. We’ve written to the territorial chamber as well. We’re looking for specifics from people outside of government looking in, to tell us what are the specific things that we need. We’ve tried to improve how we dispense licences, fees and applications. We’re looking at that list that I already read out to the Member, and we’re continuing to work through efolks and government on ways we can be more efficient as a government, and that includes decentralizing positions so we can get closer to the people on the ground, in the communities and the businesses. But we do need assistance other than a general exhortation about cut red tape. We just need to know so we’re on target. Give us some specific things we can go to work on in addition to what we think.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Michael Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Yes, Mr. Speaker. It’s too bad you can’t say that to the Ministers. My last question, Mr. Speaker, has to do with the comment, well, the statement by CFIB about the shortage of qualified labour. Their suggestion is for a training tax credit

for small business, and I’d appreciate the Minister’s comment on the feasibility of that for our NWT small businesses.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Our focus has been to put on our resources not into those types of tax cuts or credits but to look at putting training programs in place that we can be there to assist communities, individuals and businesses so that they actually have some place to go. So it’s just not a credit but more of a structure, a bigger critical mass that allows us to provide a broader range of service across the North.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Michael Miltenberger. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you know, I certainly will never make apologies for demanding accountability, and today is no different. I’m sorry; I may hit a nerve with passion, but of course, this Cabinet has got to accept the fact that some people on this side really care about the fact that they do very little over there on some of the results. The results I’m talking about nothing being done is almost 10 years on the file of 911 almost nothing has happened. Northerners keep asking for 911. Yellowknife keeps asking for 911. The NWT Association of Communities wants 911.

What is this Minister willing to show us that he’s done to get this file up and running across the territory so the safety of Northerners isn’t compromised?

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I will remind the Members again this is not a soapbox that you’re going to step on to make anybody look bad. You’ve got a Member that’s going to try to work together. Start working together. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll take that question as notice.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.