Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I’d like to welcome my good friend Mr. Jai Zachary. He’s in from Summerland visiting for the next few days. Welcome to the House. I thank everybody here for taking in our proceedings here today. Thank you very much. Item 7, acknowledgements. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize constituent Ms. Sarah Erasmus, co-owner of Erasmus Apparel, in recognition of her receipt of the Economic Developer of the Year Award during the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg last week.

Ms. Erasmus was nominated for the award and selected by the board as one of two candidates from nominees across the country. While actually attending the AGM to speak at the youth panel there, she learned of the board’s selection. Sarah’s presentation at the AGM sealed the deal and she won the award.

Mr. Speaker, all of us in Weledeh, indeed across the NWT, are proud of this local young entrepreneur. Well done, Sarah.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 8, oral questions. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of ITI. Yesterday we talked about education with Minister Lafferty, and another view of education is with the hunters and trappers in the Sahtu region. I want to ask the Minister of ITI what types of programs we have for our on-the-land professors who want to take out young students to train them how to be a good hunter and trapper, and also to be a good person.

What kinds of programs are there that young people can apply for and what types of programs are there for the elders and trappers to take these young people on the land to sustain our traditional economy? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have the highly successful Take a Kid Trapping Program that is provided through the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. We also involve the departments of ENR and MACA in that work. It is aimed at school-age children in getting them out on the land with trained trappers in the smaller communities. Thank you.

Thank you. The current program, the Take a Kid Trapping Program, does not have the capacity or the financial resources to allow for it to take kids that are outside of the school system. I think the Member is talking about young adults or youth between 17 and 22 or 23. That’s something that perhaps as we move forward it’s something that I could talk to the officials at the Department of Justice, also the officials at Health and Social Services and the Ministers about perhaps getting some programming dollars for that segment of the population. It’s important that they are given the ability to get out trapping and learn the trade by folks that know it well. Thank you.

Thank you. With this idea that the Minister is putting out there, would he be able to, within this fiscal year, direct his staff to work with the other departments such as Justice, Health and Social Services, and Education, Culture and Employment to look at a new structure of a program through their working groups or the committees in the Sahtu to say this is something that’s unique, it’s different, where we can support these younger adults that want to learn about trapping and their way of life?

Thank you. Like I mentioned, it’s an area that we don’t cover off currently. It was highlighted in the Economic Opportunities Strategy as well. Again, by working with Justice, Health and Social Services and ITI, and also perhaps ENR, we can look at a way to address that segment of the population the Member speaks of and get some programming for those individuals as well. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know the government is going to be entertaining some of the main estimates in the next couple of months. Is this something that the Minister can foresee that it’s something where we could have some of these discussions within the main estimates?

Thank you. Time will be very tight and I don’t want to get expectations up, but certainly I will discuss this idea, this option with folks at ITI and at Justice. I know the Ministers are listening, as well, to the Member’s concerns. Whether or not we can actually get something up

and running for the business plans that are coming up, that remains to be seen. I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep, but I’ll certainly take the idea and try to do something with it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be for the new sheriff in town, Mr. Ramsay.

---Laughter

Following my statement, as you know, the community of Tsiigehtchic has been requesting a detachment for a number of years. So I’d like to ask the Minister if the community were to build a detachment, would the department enter into negotiations to lease the building and have a police officer stationed in Tsiigehtchic? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve been Justice Minister now for just over a week and I have yet to be fully briefed by the RCMP on the situation of detachments around the Northwest Territories. But with the community of Tsiigehtchic, I know that the RCMP is working with the community on the idea of getting accommodations in the community for RCMP members that are travelling in from Fort McPherson, which could have RCMP members staying in the community for up to eight days a month, which certainly improves the situation currently.

We’re also looking at RCMP community officers in Tsiigehtchic, as well, that would act as a liaison between the RCMP and the community with help in investigations and certainly be on the front line in the community in the event of an occurrence that the Member spoke of during his statement. Thank you.

Thank you. That’s good news. I’d like to ask the Minister, will the Minister work with the community to have a special constable situated in Tsiigehtchic. Thank you.

Thank you. As I highlighted in my previous response, that is something that the Department of Justice and the RCMP are currently working on to help address the needs in Tsiigehtchic. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Environment today and I would like to follow up on the Minister’s refusal to our citizens’ request to investigate the issue of unknown fracking chemicals being released into the environment.

While on a fracking tour, we learned that not only are the chemicals that are injected in the wells often not disclosed, but that under the intense pressure and heat found deep in these wells, the injected chemicals react with each other and with the stuff that is in the ground and create new chemicals.

Is the Minister of the Environment aware that what goes down is not necessarily the same as what comes back up? Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe so, especially based on the edifying comments and statements I’ve listened to the Member make in this House over the last couple of weeks about the issue of fracking, the trips and some of the particulars as it relates to those particular practices. Thank you.

Thank you. Great to hear the Minister was listening. Section 2.(3) of the NWT Environmental Rights Act states: “Where there is a conflict between the terms of this act and the terms of any other enactment, this act shall prevail to the extent of the conflict.” The approvals given under the MVRMA do not demonstrate that the release of the unknown chemicals into the environment is safe.

Is it not clear to the Minister that there is a conflict here and the environmental rights of NWT citizens should prevail? Mahsi.