Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask a few further questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I’d like to follow up with some of the things he referenced in some of his answers, one of which disturbed me when the Minister, at one point, said get on with it, we need to get on with the project. It goes back to my unfortunate feeling that everybody connected with that project wants to just get on with it and they aren’t willing to consider residents’ concerns.
The Minister mentioned delays that would be caused by accepting recommendations by the environmental assessment report, but I’d like to know from the Minister, if he can explain to me, why the environmental assessment took five years to get done. My understanding is the government had a great deal to do with the length of time for that EA.
Can the Minister tell me if we, at that point – we, the GNWT – were doing everything we could to move the EA along? Were the delays caused by this government or another government? Thank you.