Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to pay respect to the Sahtu people who have lost their loved ones and offer our sincere condolences. To lose one is a painful experience one goes through. Often our elders tell us that life is precious and we don’t know when the Creator wants us back home in his kingdom. After all, we are his children in the end.

Life and death are two great mysteries that we wonder about in life. Where did we come from and where are we going in between these two spectrums we call life, God’s gift to us?

When someone we love with all our heart passes on, it brings all kinds of emotions, emotions we don’t understand at times. Yet, we have them and it’s difficult at times. Only with time we heal, it is said.

We need to learn from our cultural ways to properly help our communities and ourselves and to help our loved ones pass from this world to the next world with dignity and respect.

We pray for all the ones who have passed away since our last sitting in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to pay tribute to the late J.B. Rabesca. He was known as Tsena. He was an orphan of Lutselk’e.

Mr. Rabesca was born on June 1, 1922, and passed away June 3, 2015. He was 93 years old. The elder J.B. was born in Otto Portage, married to Mary-

Louise in 1950 in Fort Resolution and later settled in Lutselk’e together to raise their nine children. He was a humble man who lived a traditional lifestyle. He loved to hunt and trap, passed down his teachings to his children and grandchildren and countless community members near and far.

J.B. is survived by his children Alec, Nora, Joe, Michael, Allan and Fredrick, and numerous grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Mary-Louise; sons Eddie, Roger and Frank; grandson Rufus James and granddaughter Holly.

My sincere condolences go

out to J.B.’s family and

friends. He had a loving heart and always had kind words to say. He always spoke at all of the gatherings at Lutselk’e. I’d also like to pay tribute to the late Mary Fatt of Lutselk’e. Mary Fatt was born on June 30, 1938, and passed away June 17, 2015, just before she turned 77. Mary Fatt was born in Kache and lived briefly in Yellowknife and Rocher River before settling down in Lutselk’e with her husband, Pierre, and their four children.

Mary was well known for her beautiful sewing, generosity and her traditional way of living. She loved her children and grandchildren very much and she was sure to make them moccasins, mitts and other traditional clothing to wear, and she was very fast at making them. She taught many people to sew, tan hides, make dry meat, dry fish and many other things. She was involved in many local events. She was crowned the berry picking champ.

Mary always shared her knowledge and would set aside whatever she was doing to help others. She would help raise her grandchildren and loved them dearly. Even though she was sick, she never complained about being in pain.

Mary is survived by her children, Larry, Maggie, Ron and Suzie, and numerous grandchildren and her husband, Pierre. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Mr. Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Bromley on June 2, 2015, regarding scientific conclusions on climate change.

ITI is committed to environmentally responsible development of NWT natural resources to grow our economy for the benefit and prosperity of all NWT residents.

Every application to withdraw water in the NWT, including for hydraulic fracturing, is review on a case- by-case basis. Consideration will be given to the volume of available source water in the area as well as any cumulative impacts from other withdrawals in the region. Any water licence will set a limit on the amount of freshwater that can be withdrawn by source and used for the operation. Storage of contaminated water through underground disposal is one available option that would need to be approved.

Other options include recycling of wastewater and fracturing fluid flow-back, or disposal at an approved facility in Alberta or British Columbia as no such facility exists in the NWT. More information on specific cases of water usage and waste management related to hydraulic fracturing can be found on the Sahtu Land and Water Board public registry.

According to the application for Water Licence S14L1-003, submitted to the Sahtu Land and Water Board for the 2014-2019 EL470 Multi-Well Exploration Program, ConocoPhillips estimated a maximum annual water withdrawal volume of 348,490 cubic metres, or approximately 139 Olympic-size pools, as part of the water licence consolidation.

The National Oil Shale Association, United States, estimates that mean water consumption for shale oil production is 1.7 barrels of water per barrel of oil production. At oil production scenarios of 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 barrels per day, the amount of water required annually would be approximately 740,000, 1.48 million, and 3.70 million cubic metres, respectively.

Federal

delegation

of

authority

for

water

management and approval of type “A” water licences has been transferred from the federal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada to the Government of the Northwest Territories, Minister of ENR, while type “B” water licences are issued directly by land and water boards.

As part

of the department’s commitment to

environmentally

sustainable

and

responsible

development, I will rely on the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources and the expertise of ENR’s waters resources division for any detailed assessment of water quality. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m

very pleased to recognize my wife, Melody McLeod, the other half the McLeod government, and also two

constituents, Jugjit More-Curran and John Curran. Welcome to the Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. It’s always

better to have the other half in here sometimes too. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour to recognize today in the House, Commanding Officer of “G” Division, Chief Superintendent Ron Smith, and also the officer in charge of criminal operations, Mike LeSage. I know they don’t get thanked enough, so I want to thank them for all the great police work they’ve done across the Northwest Territories. Most recently, with large seizures of illegal drugs and alcohol in communities across the territory. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent of the Great Slave riding in the gallery today, Mr. Kieron Testart. Thank you for being here.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to

recognize two Pages from Tsiigehtchic. We have Jessica Andre and my daughter Davina here with us this week.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to

recognize Andrew John Kenny from the Deline Got

’ine Government. Andrew John has been an

elder and a guide for me for the last 12 years in the Legislative Assembly, and I’d like to recognize his commitment and dedication to the Sahtu people.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through you and to you, I’d like to welcome all members in the gallery here today, and we have some long- serving Northerners from Yellowknife here. We’ve got Gladys and Albert Eggenberger. Thanks for joining us here today. They’ve brought with them some friends all the way from Beaver Lodge, Alberta. We’re got Ed Brown and we’ve got Carolyn Morgan. Welcome to the proceedings. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very

pleased to welcome two Frame Lake constituents, long-standing members of the city of Yellowknife. I call them, I think they’re builders of our community, Gladys and Albert Eggenberger. I’m very pleased to see you guys here, and welcome to your visitors as well.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I see that we have two of my constituents, although they’ve already been recognized, but they certainly deserve the credit and recognition once again. I’d like to recognize constituent Chief Superintendent Ron Smith and Superintendent Mike LeSage

. They’re not

only constituents, they’re both neighbours, so I feel very safe and very proud to have our RCMP members here in the gallery today.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I’d like to

welcome everybody here in the public gallery. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings.

Item 7, acknowledgements. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Item 8, oral questions. Mr. Blake.