This is page numbers 1769 - 1816 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.

Topics

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Premier

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member recognizes that we are the responsible government. We are all elected to represent the people of the Northwest Territories, and we’re doing that to the best of our ability. We’re not the official opposition to the Government of Canada or we’re not going to be out picketing about cuts to different areas. We are doing our job. We are writing letters to the Government of Canada, asking them questions about the activities that the government undertakes. Right now the Government of Canada is responsible for the funding of the MVRMA boards.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Of course, the reason I’m asking these questions – I appreciate the Premier’s response there – is that the public is not hearing about this. It’s the people, our people who are being affected by these decisions which are only affecting the Northwest Territories. We’re talking about boards within the Northwest Territories. I think we very much have a role here. We have the prospect of seven new mines, the fibre optic link, the Mackenzie Valley Highway extension, and possibly hydro development in the offing.

The government has complained past reviews were too slow. We haven’t hesitated to speak out there. We know a big problem has actually been delayed decisions by the federal Minister, but does the Premier agree that cutting the Environmental Review Board staff in half, from 12 to six, will cripple the board’s ability to complete reviews promptly and thoroughly and has the potential to delay projects that this government wants to see proceed speedily and responsibly?

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Premier

The administration of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board indicated that through job shadowing and the fact that there was a decrease in the amount of work that they will be doing next year to last, that they felt that it was within their level of resources to be able to handle the workload. Obviously, reduction in resources at this time is probably not very helpful as we go forward.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

The Premier and I are on the same page with his last statement there. The previous bit, though, is only partially correct. The board said they had shadow people for this project that’s coming up but not for the rest of the work. There’s also the federal duty to consult and accommodate to meet federal fiduciary in Section 35 responsibilities. These may be federal but they are the constitutional rights held by more than half of our NWT citizens. When the federal government reneges on them, I believe we have a duty to lend support to NWT citizens under assault.

Was this government even informed in advance of the planned funding cuts, and is the Premier aware of consultation with our Aboriginal partners?

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Premier

If we feel that fiduciary obligations are not being followed, we are not worried, we don’t take our time in asking questions about it. As far as if we were asked about specific reduction of six people from the MVEIRB office, we were not consulted about it.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Glad to hear it. On the second part there, I was asking about the planned funding cuts rather than the people that were the decision of the board that they were finessed into. We partner governments and boards rely heavily on the Environmental Review Board for essential information and advice, and the federal government is kicking the legs out from under it. The Commissioner of the Environment said the same thing even before these cuts.

My question is, as I asked in my statement: How long will devolution negotiations muzzle our voice and our willingness to stick up for the vital public interests that are under assault here? When will this government finally speak up? Thank you.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Premier

Sometimes it’s good to have the last word, but we are not being muzzled. We are negotiating with the Government of Canada. As we’ve said all along, we hope that everybody will support devolution, because if you want to protect resources that are in the current system, the best way to do it is by having devolution occur and have devolution occur in a very timely manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask questions to the Minister of ITI, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Ramsay had an exploration readiness meeting in Norman Wells that was attended by the Sahtu leadership with the Department of ITI and oil and gas companies. I want to ask Mr. Ramsay, on the 11 recommendations on the Sahtu readiness exploration session all had to do with the Sahtu shale oil play. What’s the next step to this important meeting and, more importantly, to the 11 recommendations that came forward?

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the first step is this budget. I think we’ve answered the call with what is happening in the Sahtu with the Canol shale oil play. We’ve addressed the concerns, some of the concerns that are there. The dialogue has to continue with the Member, with the leadership in the Sahtu and also

with industry. That dialogue continued even today, as folks from the industry were here in Yellowknife and I met with them this morning, and we will continue to have that dialogue so we ensure that the benefits are maximized for the people that live in the Sahtu and we can see this play, hopefully one day, getting into production. Thank you.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

In front of me I have the two-page 11 recommendations. I want to ask Minister Ramsay, I met, also this morning, with one of the oil companies and they were talking about their upcoming activities. One of the key points of this activity taking off would be understanding the fracking that’s going to possibly happen in the Sahtu and the importance of the Sahtu people, along with the people of the Northwest Territories, getting ready. If fracking takes off, we need to get ready.

How soon can the Minister pull together a meeting in the Sahtu to look at the concept of fracking and what it’s going to entail, and how we can prepare ourselves?

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment

The government, through ITI, has done a fair bit when it comes to getting people educated about fracking, what it is, how it works. We had a study tour with Members last fall and we’ve more recently taken a group of 15 leaders from the Sahtu down to I believe it was Calgary for a study tour as well. I really think it’s important that the leadership in the Sahtu understand what is at risk here.

Certainly, there’s going to be a lot of business opportunities and economic potential for Aboriginal businesses and development corporations in the Sahtu. I think it’s very important at the earliest opportunity we get Aboriginal business leaders and other leaders in the Sahtu to a place like North Dakota, perhaps as soon as April, if we can pull this off to talk to Aboriginal leaders in North Dakota who have benefitted tremendously from the economic activity in the Bakken in North Dakota and the jobs it has created for their people.

So I want to pull this together, and hopefully sometime this April we will have a tour to the Bakken in North Dakota. Thank you.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

I will look forward to the Minister’s planning and anything I can do to help to make this trip successful.

I want to ask the Minister with regard to a comprehensive sit-down with the Sahtu leadership on the transportation and the hundreds of trucks that come up on the winter road, the training, the drug and alcohol issues that we have, the business opportunities, a comprehensive review of what happens after this season in the Sahtu where there were hundreds of millions of dollars spent. Let’s sit down with the leaders, sit down with the people who are, firsthand, experiencing this and say, this is

what we learned, let’s get ready for this year. Could the Minister commit to a meeting with the Sahtu people?

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment

In questions, I believe late last week, I gave the Member my commitment to perhaps even drive the winter road into his region into the Sahtu sometime this winter during the life of the ice road. If we can do that, if we can pull it together, I would be more than happy to talk to businesses, residents and stakeholders in the region. As I mentioned late last week, we have to learn lessons from this year’s experiences with the ice road, the amount of traffic that was on that road. If there are ways we can improve things, we need to be looking at that in the interim before there is an all-weather road down the Mackenzie Valley, which, Mr. Speaker, I hope happens sooner rather than later.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If resources are proven, there will be a road down the Mackenzie Valley.

I want to ask the Minister, will he commit to pulling in people into the Sahtu to have a community/regional meeting on the exploration that’s happening in the Sahtu so we get ready and start addressing all 11 recommendations from the previous meeting. I thank the Minister for that.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment

I believe that’s a very worthwhile exercise and certainly something that, through the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, we can work with the Member and try to make something like that happen. We had the readiness session last year, and I believe we should be having a readiness session each fall in preparation for the upcoming season. I want to see that become an annual-type event.

Certainly, I understand what the Member is saying, and if there is a need to get together after the season is over in the spring to talk about issues, I think that’s a worthwhile exercise and certainly something that I would support. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Mr. McLeod.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5 on the Order Paper.

---Unanimous consent granted

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I want to use this opportunity to recognize one of our good, corporate

citizens of Inuvik, Mr. Kurt Wainman, owner of Northwind Industries, and I would also like to welcome Mr. Russell Newmark from E. Gruben’s Transport. Welcome, gentlemen.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, replies to budget address, day four of seven. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of standing and special committees. Item 14, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 15, tabling of documents. Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled Letter to Mr. Robert Hawkins dated February 12, 2013, regarding Written Question 12-17(3), Senior Management Salary Ranges – Amended Data.

Mr. Speaker, the document that was tabled by Mr. Hawkins a couple of days ago, upon further review, it turns out we actually had a calculation error and the total or grand total of salaries and benefits paid to senior management, 204 senior management, was $35 million, not $70 million. So I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Mr. Hawkins, the Members and the public for any confusion or frustration the calculation error may have caused. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Pursuant to Section 5 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I wish to table a Summary of Members’ Absences for the Period of October 17, 2012, to February 5, 2013. Thank you.

Item 16, notices of motion. Mr. Yakeleya.