Thank you, Mr. Vician. Activity summary, minerals and petroleum resources, operations expenditure summary, $19.349 million. Mr. Yakeleya.

Madam Chair, just for the record here, the Minister stated that we are starting to move some petroleum positions around the Northwest Territories. Based on participation and the business case and looking at future projects, I want to state for the record that I’ve been asking for some time to put some of the petroleum positions into the Sahtu because that’s where the action is happening right now.

It’s almost like saying, well, let’s put the forest management headquarters in the Sahtu because things are happening in other areas. The Sahtu people are starting to wonder, in addition to the positions that are being moved to deal with the impact of the oil and gas activity in this and this isn’t a small-time type of activity, indications could show that we could have quite an impact in Canada and in the Northwest Territories with what’s happening there now.

Up in the Beaufort Sea, we don’t know what’s happening there yet. That’s just on the horizon. We could potentially know, but we don’t know. Nothing has happened up there and activity is happening in the Sahtu right now as we speak. There’s potential of some things moving to another level that we don’t even think about right now, yet we don’t have the support in our region for this type of impact and that’s quite puzzling. I’m not too sure how the government comes up with their evaluation as to putting in the office.

I know we can certainly use these positions in our region. The Sahtu could be a major economic energy-driver in the North and in Canada. It seems like we’re dancing around the fire. It’s all happening in the Sahtu, but we’re dancing around. In case this happens, we have something here, but it’s like they’re scared to come into our region and offer something. We’re kind of scratching our heads on this side.

I want to go on the record saying that. It’s a long-standing issue for me. Certainly decisions have been made, but the matter of the fact is things are happening in the Sahtu as we speak today. That’s a given. This is not what could potentially happen next year or the year after. We don’t know. Things right now are happening in the Sahtu. Things are wrapping up.

The exploration activity is showing that there are some good things that could possibly happen, but we’re waiting on the outside and we’re having support on the outside. I am somewhat puzzled, as

Mr. Bouchard is also, as to positions not meeting our needs. I hope we can do something.

It costs quite a bit to live further north in the Sahtu. We know that; it’s a given. What compels the government department to say yes, we’re going to move this? There must be some strong, compelling argument that has been discussed and say, well, the activity is there, but we’re going to move over here and this is why we’re justified. That’s what’s happening.

I could be wrong. Maybe in a couple years the Beaufort-Delta will really take off with what they have there. I hope that happens. But as a matter of fact, Jack, things are happening right now in the Sahtu and there are a lot of activities happening, but we’re not planning for that.

I appreciate the positions going into the Sahtu by this government to respond to activity that’s happening early in exploration. Don’t get me wrong there. That’s what I want to say for the record.

We have some positions already at the office in Hay River. That decision was made in the last government, but now we’re coming to this government here and I respect that. I don’t agree with it, but I respect it and that’s okay. But now we have an opportunity through this process here and we seem to fly over the region for something that we don’t know yet.

Minister, I guess I know the puzzle. I have to put it on the record that I certainly would want to see at least maybe three out of the nine coming to the Sahtu. We have to show. Right now you’re telling me, even though there’s all this activity in the Sahtu, you’re not important and we’re not going to give you our support, we’re waiting for something else to happen, we don’t know. That’s what it’s telling me and my people in my region. We will ramp it up in the Beaufort Sea. Possibly there are some good indications. Things are happening in my region. There is over $100 million spent in my region this year. That is an estimate. That is not the exact figure until I find out after the winter road closes and operations are ramped down. That’s happening right now. I’m just hoping that we see some support from this government to say yes, but I haven’t seen anything to date. I just want to say that I agree with Mr. Bouchard and some of the logic. We are not in the discussions when these opportunities come up. We were told, but we are not involved in the discussions. It is a different story from when you are being told this is what we are going to look at.

For the record, I don’t really need a comment from the Minister. If he wants to comment, then I would like him to comment on support they are going to have in the Inuvik area for these positions moving in there. I don’t know how many dollars that is going to cost us, but we certainly, for me, are dancing around the fire. The fire is in the Sahtu, but we are

dancing around it, not really strongly supporting it, not like the physicians that I heard from last year, which I appreciate, but not something like this, having a regional office or even branching out from the Hay River office to support us. I guess I’m going to do another year and come back and see what type of response the government is going to give us for our region. That’s all I have to say.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya, for your comments. The Minister has 37 seconds to respond. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the Member for his comments and his concern. I do want to tell him and he knows I support the Sahtu, what is happening in the Sahtu, as does the government. We have made a commitment as a government to look at decentralization. This isn’t a regional office that we’re putting in Inuvik. There are nine new positions; it’s a headquarters function and they’re going to Inuvik.

We are moving forward with decentralization plans. There will be more coming, and I hope Members can understand and appreciate and have some patience with us as we continue to move forward and get into I believe it is phase three of our decentralization plan and just have some faith that some further positions will be moved to the regions around the territory. It’s something I have gone on record as saying I support. The department has supported it in the past. The government supports it. We are going to put our best effort into doing that. Again, I hope we have some understanding from the Members that this is just one step along the path that we are going to have to take. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Sometimes I just call the page so we don’t forget where we are. It doesn’t mean I don’t have other people on the list. Page 12-17, activity summary, mineral and petroleum resources, operations expenditure summary, $19.349 million. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Ramsay.

Yes, Madam Chair, absolutely. I made that commitment earlier to Member Bromley and that is something that we certainly look forward to, getting in a room with committee and Regular Members and addressing every one of the concerns that they have as we move forward. Thank you.

Madam Chair, that sounds good. I’m not asking for veto when I describe it this way, but committee feels very strongly, and I stress committee and not necessarily anything broader than that, but there would be a possibility to maybe open or exercise those concerns and maybe build upon those concerns, if necessary.

One of the challenges we have is, once we approve the budget, it is from a Regular Member perspective, it’s see you later at that point. Sometimes I think some things do take a fair bit of work to get to know, like, expect and work through. Again, I’m not stressing veto power. I’m suggesting a chance to work through some of these things. If there is concern, we work them out. Does the Minister see that possibility coming forward in this type of discussion, especially in this mineral and petroleum resources section that he’s already promised a briefing on? Thank you.

Yes, Madam Chair. We can do that and the sooner the better. Effective April 1st , the Government of the Northwest

Territories will be the regulator of the oil and gas industry here in the Northwest Territories. We should get that briefing up and running for committee and Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I had one more question. The budget for this division is going up about $13 million. I would like to know what proportion of that is being covered by the devolution implementation dollars. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Ramsay.

Madam Chair, of that amount of $19.3 million, approximately $11.6 million will be covered off from devolution funding. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for that information. I appreciate Mr. Hawkins’ comments. I

would like to follow up on that with a motion. If I may go ahead, I move that this committee defer consideration of minerals and petroleum resources activity on page 12-17 at this time. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. We will have the motion circulated.

The motion has now been circulated. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. The motion is defeated.

---Defeated

Activity summary, minerals and petroleum resources, operations expenditure summary, $19.349 million.

Agreed. Thank you. Activity summary, minerals and petroleum resources, grants and contributions, $1.455 million. Agreed?

Thank you. Page 12-19, information item, minerals and petroleum resources, active positions. Any questions?

Agreed. Thank you. Page 12-21, activity summary, energy, operations expenditure summary, $2.988 million. Agreed? Mr. Bromley.