Thank you, Mr. Nadli. I’d like to welcome everybody here in the public gallery. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Mr. Menicoche.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and through my role as regulator of the industry, we are not involved in the baseline studies that would have been done in the Liard Basin. I know there has been some work there. I will get the Member that level of detail, and I suppose I’d have to go to another department to get that information.

Certainly, I spoke in my Member’s statement about how the Fort Liard public engagement session was deferred and it’s planned for next week. I’d just like to ask the Minister how his department is letting the

communities know about the upcoming engagement sessions.

I believe it has been well advertised, public announcements and posters around the community. I can get, again, detail for the Member on what has happened to let the public know. It was unfortunate two communities in the Member’s riding, we were unable to get in there initially because of weather, but those meetings are scheduled, as the Member mentioned, for next week.

Certainly, these are very small communities but it’s important to advertise about subjects of this importance. I’d just like to ask the Minister, as well, what additional engagement measures will the department take over for the extended engagement period as they’re looking at extending it until August? Thank you.

We still have a portion of the process to get through, more communities to have meetings in. What we will do, and I have committed in the House last week, was to extend the period and the process until the end of August. We will take a look. I know Members are asking for more educational opportunities for communities. We will take everything we’ve heard into consideration and make a concerted effort to address the concerns we’ve heard and, again, carry the process out until the end of August and further if need be. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In the information sessions there was talk about a Section 35 consultation, which means consulting with Aboriginal organizations. This summer finds us with our annual assemblies. What are the plans for the Section 35 consultations with Aboriginal organizations? Mahsi.

The public engagement sessions are, of course, public engagement. The consultation with Aboriginal governments has started. I’ve written letters to the Aboriginal governments around the Northwest Territories. That is in the works, that consultation period. The added time to the end of August will give us an opportunity to get to gatherings and other commitments around the territory where gatherings are taking place. We will have folks attend assemblies and provide information and talk to people about the process and how we’re moving this effort forward.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement, I talked about responsible exploration for energy. The Sahtu needs to understand the impacts and the consequences on our land, water and wildlife from the responsible exploration for energy.

I want to ask the Minister of ITI, what is this government doing to know the potential impacts and consequences? What studies have been done in our region?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every application that is received is scrutinized by arm’s-length regulatory boards here in the Northwest Territories that hear directly from the public and make decisions and set regulations for every single project based on the specifics of each proposal.

Through ENR there has been work done on water and there are other efforts in place. Of course, the proponents in the Sahtu have done a lot of work on baseline information gathering themselves. So when an application comes forward, that information is in it so the public can understand what the application is and the impacts it may have. Thank you.

The Minister talked about studies and information. I want to ask the Minister, what credible information on the impacts on this exploring for energy using hydraulic fracking to the health, environment and water that we are doing in the Sahtu. Do we have effective enforcement?

We are moving forward with draft regulations. We have had only a year, or just over a year. Our government wanted to devolve and evolve. This is part of the evolution. As we move forward, we can take a look at other jurisdictions, how they’ve regulated the industry, how they’ve been successful and not ruling out one technique. You look at BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, they’ve done this in a safe and responsible manner. It is about striking a balance, and we believe that we can manage our own affairs here in the Northwest Territories so that we can protect the environment and we can provide jobs and opportunities for people. I know some Members, in their Members’ statements, talked about the future. The future includes jobs and opportunities for businesses and people here in the Northwest Territories as well as protecting the environment. Thank you.

Can the Minister speak about the public infrastructure plan that will and is addressing the issue, such as transportation of

wastewater disposals once the operations have begun in areas where we are doing horizontal hydraulic fracking?

You just have to look around the Northwest Territories and a lot of the infrastructure that we have in place here today is a direct result of resource development, whether it’s mining or hydro, in the case of the Taltson, or mining.

We are looking at an opportunity in the central Mackenzie Valley. One of the knocks against the Territories is lack of infrastructure. Members are talking about environmental concerns, and the Member is asking about wastewater. It would make much, much more sense if we had an all-weather road down the Mackenzie Valley. That’s something that’s been a priority of the government for some time. In the case of developing a resource and developing an industry in the central Mackenzie Valley, an all-weather road is a big part of that puzzle. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year at the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated AGM, the motion that was tabled and talked about called for a joint committee with the GNWT to consider the risks and benefits of hydraulic fracking in the settlement area.

I want to ask the Minister, has the Minister’s department ever responded to that motion, where they would sit down with the Sahtu Secretariat and look at the issue of hydraulic fracking in their region and come together to understand as to how they’re going to proceed with this?

I’m not aware at the official’s level if that has happened. I can make a commitment to the Member, if I can sit down with the leadership myself, I’d be happy to do that, to discuss just that. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to follow up my Member’s statement with questions for the Minister of ITI.

If it was not apparent to the Minister before today that there is a significant public concern surrounding fracking in the NWT, it should be clear now, and the public wants input on the question of whether to fracture or not, and that the drafting of fracking regulations is premature. It puts the cart before the horse.

Will the Minister now declare a moratorium on horizontal hydraulic fracturing in the Northwest Territories until a comprehensive public review of the practice is conducted, letting the people of the NWT become knowledgeable about this controversial practice and indicate their acceptance of the risks involved, or not ? Mahsi.