Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back in February, as the Member knows, I wrote a letter, sent a letter to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and asked that the federal government consider putting money into the port, dredging the port of Hay River, and indicated it was vital to the Territories for resupply of fuel and food to some of the communities. I did not get a response, so I’m not sure that I should be drafting another letter. I know that the public service Department of Transportation has been speaking to their counterparts about the issue, but it’s clearly something that is a federal government responsibility that we don’t feel we should be going into. Thank you.

So, the question I have is: The Minister indicated he wrote a letter in February and we haven’t followed up. We haven’t had any other conversation with any other federal Minister responsible for the dredging of the Hay River. I just want to confirm that.

Has the Minister had any conversation with the federal government about the dredging since his letter of February? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have not had a conversation with the federal government, the departments responsible for dredging the Hay River. Thank you.

I guess I have concern with the priority of the Hay River dredging. It seems to be way low on the GNWT and Minister’s mind. I’m wondering why the Department of Transportation just went through a whole process through Build Canada, through infrastructure funding and the Hay River dredging isn’t on that agenda for the 10-year plan for the infrastructure under Build Canada in partnership with the GNWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Building Canada is something that is cost shared 75 percent federal government, 25 percent GNWT for GNWT infrastructure. We did get one piece of federal infrastructure in the Build Canada Plan, which was removed by the federal government.

We don’t think

it would be wise to add federal responsibility and request money from the Build Canada Plan and then take over their responsibility with the money that we will be leveraging from our government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister led me right into the question that I wanted to ask him. He talks about a federal responsibility versus 25 percent territorial.

In the discussion about infrastructure and the creation of new roads, wasn’t that a federal responsibility? We are currently building roads in the Northwest Territories, new roads, and we are putting in 25 percent. Where is our at least 25 percent for dredging? Why are we diverting this issue of dredging? Yet, with other things when the federal government’s responsibility is there, we are willing to put territorial money into it.

We’ve had a transfer from

the federal government. The federal government devolved the Department of Transportation to the GNWT. If we put in a part of the Building Canada Plan and put something in there that was actually federal responsibility, the federal government would remove it. So it would be foolish to go through that process of adding in a project that is clearly federal responsibility just to have the government remove it and we would have to plan on replacing that with something else. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very dismayed by the answers today from the Minister of Transportation. We are hearing that this is federal responsibility, yet the Minister wrote to the federal government and got no response and there was no follow-up. This government does not seem to care about dredging in Hay River. I don’t care whose responsibility it is. Newsflash: They left 20 years ago; t

hey’re not coming back. Somebody has to be

responsible.

I don’t know why it has to stay a federal responsibility. Maybe the Minister can tell me that.

Why does it have to be a federal responsibility? Why can’t it be a territorial responsibility? Why can’t you put aside funds? I don’t care if you contract it out. I don’t care if you add it on to the marine division at the Department of Transportation. This needs to be done. Some way, somehow the river has to be dredged. A community is at stake here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Taking over federal responsibility may require us to create a department. There would be more discussion rather than us just asking the federal government to step up with $12 million to follow their responsibilities and dredge the Hay River. If we are going to start taking over or going into areas the

federal government don’t seem to wish to do or don’t wish to spend their money on, then it would not be wise for GNWT to step in and start taking over federal

responsibilities,

pay

for

federal

responsibilities.

This is a federal responsibility.

We’ve written to

them. We’ve asked them. They didn’t respond. We’ve advised them we thought it was important, essential for us to provide supplies from Hay River to other communities. We have received no response. We don’t feel that we should now take over their responsibilities. Thank you.

What’s the alternative? If

our government doesn’t want to take over federal responsibility, what is the alternative? Just wait for the waterways or passageways to fill in with silt?

Could the Minister, for my benefit and the benefit of our constituents, please tell me why this must be designated as a federal responsibility? Even though it traditionally was, why does it today still need to be tagged as a federal responsibility? Why can’t it be a territorial responsibility? Thank you.

It is a federal responsibility and the Department of Transportation is not in a position to take over areas that are federal responsibility. We can’t just move in and start to fund areas that are a federal responsibility.

Right now we go through a process. When a department from the federal government is devolved to the Government of the Northwest Territories, or any government for that matter, there is a process. If that responsibility devolves from the GNWT, then it would become a GNWT responsibility and it would come with money and personnel. Just to go in and take over federal responsibility at our expense would not be something that this government could do, even if they wished to.

I still don’t understand,

from the Minister’s explanation, why the dredging in Hay River has to be deemed a federal responsibility. I understand it traditionally was. I understand that the federal government vacated their responsibility with response to the dredging.

Is there some legal reason why we have to call that a federal responsibility? Why can’t it be a territorial responsibility without going through some transfer or mandate and some transfer of funds? Why can’t we just take it up and say we’re going to take care of it? Why? What is the legal impediment? Thank you.

Aside from their fiscal responsibility of spending money dredging the harbour, we don’t have the legislation to take over areas. That particular area is now federal responsibility. Even if we had the money to go in and dredge it once and go in and take the responsibility, this would be something that would continue.

It’s important that we, as a government, continue to have discussions with the federal government, for them to step up and take care of their responsibility. I have written a letter to Fisheries and Oceans asking them to do it. No response. Our officials from Transportation have talked to Transport Canada about the issue and also with Fisheries and Oceans about the issue. We have no resolve on this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the government does not want the fiscal and financial responsibility of dredging Hay River. Let me ask the

Minister… Obviously, we are

at a standoff. The feds are not responding to the request of anybody from this government about the dredging of Hay River.

Who is going to stop the territorial government if they go in there and dredge? I know we don’t want to take on the fiscal responsibility. If we start dredging it, then that’s our responsibility, but legally what is stopping us from dredging that harbour?

We have not talked about moving in and starting to go into an area where the federal government is responsible. Currently, the federal government is going through elections. We can raise that with the federal government for them to take responsibility. If this Assembly decides we need to take over Fisheries and Oceans’ responsibilities,

then that’s another discussion that

would have to be had by all of us and the governments responsible, the federal government. I don’t think that’s a discussion we can have here and make a decision to dredge it once and then the problem is solved. It’s an ongoing issue and the appropriate people have to step forward to do their jobs, not GNWT. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to dredge up my Member’s statement from June 3, 2015. I talked about putting more cash in Northerners’ pockets. It’s a known fact that the northern residents deduction was implemented to stimulate growth in the NWT by helping compensate for the high cost of living. Sadly, this initiative has not kept up with inflation, and with a paltry 10 percent increase in 2008 we are left wondering why the Finance Minister or Premier have failed to consider this specifically. I’m talking about the Population Growth Strategy. My questions today are for the Premier.

Can the Premier indicate if this government has examined and quantified the economic benefits for the various levels of an increase to the northern residents deduction? If so, what are the results? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.