Mr. Speaker, later today, at the appropriate time, I will table Northern Lands, Northern Leadership: The Government of the Northwest Territories Land Use and Sustainability Framework. Completion of this document is a significant achievement and a major step in this government’s final preparations to assume new responsibilities for public lands, water and resources on April 1st .
The Land Use and Sustainability Framework establishes a policy foundation for the Government of the Northwest Territories as we assume our land management responsibilities after devolution. It is based on our years of work and collaboration with Aboriginal governments and stakeholders in land
use and conservation and reflects the special relationship that Northerners have with the land and the environment.
The vision of our government, set out in this document, is that land is life. It sustains and nourishes us spiritually, culturally, physically, economically and socially. Working together, Northerners will responsibly and sustainably manage the lands, waters and natural resources of the Northwest Territories for the benefit of current and future generations.
Principles set out in the Land Use Sustainability Framework will help us achieve our vision as we make decisions about land use and land management. Our decisions will be balanced and sustainable, considering ecological, social, cultural and economic values. They will be responsible and responsive, made in the context of sound environmental stewardship. They will be respectful of Aboriginal and treaty rights as well as third-party land interests and legal rights.
Decisions will be informed by our strong and respectful relationships with Aboriginal governments and Canada. Decisions will be relevant, made by Northerners, while providing residents with meaningful engagement and input. We will be coordinated and collaborative, involving the relevant government departments, external organizations and agencies as well as neighboring jurisdictions.
Our decisions and actions will be fair and equitable, recognizing that responsibilities for environmental stewardship and creation of resource opportunities should be shared equitably across all regions of the Northwest Territories. We are also committed to transparency and accountability in our decision-making processes, ensuring they are consistent and communicated.
The Land Use and Sustainability Framework is one part of a broader legislative and policy framework that our government has been putting in place to ensure that we are ready to manage our new authorities and responsibilities. That broader framework includes existing territorial legislation like the Commissioner’s Lands Act, Area Development Act, Community Planning and Development Act and Environmental Protection Act. Our legislative framework will continue to operate consistent with
our obligations in settled land claims and complement the management structures built within those agreements and in conjunction with federal legislation, such as the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act.
New mirror legislation and associated regulations called for in the Devolution Agreement, like the Oil and Gas Operations Act, Petroleum Resources Act, Northwest Territories Lands Act, Waters Act, Surface Rights Board Act, Reindeer Act and Archeological Sites Act, will also part of the broader framework.
Other elements of the overall policy framework include the Devolution Agreement, settled land claim and self-government agreements, the Sustainable Development Policy, the Water Stewardship Strategy, the Mineral Development Strategy, Economic Opportunities Strategy and the Cumulative Impacts Monitoring Program. As new land claims and self-government agreements are negotiated, they will also shape and inform this policy framework.
All these acts, agreements, policies, strategies and frameworks will operate together to ensure that Government of the Northwest Territories decisions and actions about public land, resources and water are consistent, based on sound policy thinking and reflect the priorities and values of Northerners.
Three departments will have primary responsibility for managing and administering the new responsibilities being devolved to the Government of the Northwest Territories. These include the new Department of Lands, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Together, they will be responsible for decision-making and regulation of activities involving public land, water and non-renewable resources guided by the broader framework of legislation, policies and strategies we have put in place.
The Department of Lands will support, manage, protect and administer the sustainable use of public land in the Northwest Territories. It will assume land management responsibilities being transferred from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. It will manage all surface lands disposition, such as sales, leasing, permits, licences of occupation and rights-of-way. It will also manage inspections, enforcement and policy development for public lands.
Most importantly, the Department of Lands will be responsible for coordinating and conducting project assessments on public lands in the Northwest Territories, functioning as a “single-window” for development applications. This will ensure that Government of the Northwest Territories consideration of projects is coordinated, timely and consistent. It will ensure all our decisions on land,
water and resource development reflect northern priorities and values and uphold the public interest.
New responsibilities will be assumed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources under the new NWT Waters Act and delegated to it under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. It will be the security holder and manager for water licences and be responsible for inspections and enforcement of water use. It will also be responsible for regulating the deposit of waste regarding activities and developments on or which impact public lands and water.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment will assume new responsibilities for administering mineral exploration and development activities, including issuing prospecting licences, prospecting permits, mining leases and recording mineral claims. Industry, Tourism and Investment will also be taking on new responsibilities for onshore oil and gas development in the Mackenzie Valley.
As part of our devolution preparations, Cabinet recently designated the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment as the regulator for onshore oil and gas activities outside of federal areas and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Agreements for technical services and support from regulatory experts in other jurisdictions are being finalized. Having the regulatory function sit with Industry, Tourism and Investment, rather than simply contracting a regulator from outside of the Northwest Territories, will ensure that knowledge and skills are transferred to, built in and held by people in the Northwest Territories. This model was arrived at by careful review and consideration of several possible models and is consistent with how Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Yukon have successfully regulated oil and gas activities for years.
After decades of negotiations and years of planning, we are on the eve of momentous changes in the Northwest Territories. We did not achieve this alone. With the support and participation of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Northwest Territory Metis Nation, the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the Tlicho Government, the Devolution Agreement provides for continued, stronger intergovernmental relationships with Aboriginal governments through the Intergovernmental Council. The sharing of resource revenues with participating Aboriginal governments also supports this government’s commitment to strong Aboriginal governments.
I also want to thank the Members of this House, whose due diligence throughout negotiations and implementation planning was a critical part of the process.
The land and its resources are our common heritage and must be managed to the benefit of all
residents of our territory. Making the right decisions today to ensure a healthy and prosperous tomorrow for future generations is one of our greatest responsibilities as a government. Let us continue to work together, both in this House and with all of our partners, to make sure we get it right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.