Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can confirm that the Mackenzie Valley Natural Gas Project has been a priority for not only the 16th Legislative Assembly, but the 17th Legislative Assembly. With regards to the Mackenzie Gas Project Request for Extension to Sunset Clause, we do have a protocol for priorities that transcend from one Legislative Assembly to another, and we followed that protocol. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do not wish to debate the merits of whether the certificate should be extended or not. The issue is how and when Cabinet will consult with Regular Members before major decisions are made. Can the Minister explain to this House how and when the Executive intends to consult Regular Members on matters before decisions are made?

We have a process convention that has been agreed to on how we work and interact with the standing committees, and we would be very pleased to review and update it with the standing committees.

Now that the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has intervened to support the extension of the Mackenzie Valley Natural Gas Project certificate with the Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas Operations, how does the Minister see himself carrying out his regulatory role so as to avoid an apprehension of bias?

I will avoid that by having another minister assume the responsibilities as the oil and gas regulator. It has been assumed by Minister Louis Sebert.

Oral questions. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.

That’s a piece of good news. I find out about it in the House, but thank you. Will the Minister commit to a public review of the structure and reporting relationships of the Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas Operations so as to avoid a conflict of interest between GNWT roles as intervener and regulator?

I have always said that with devolution, we will devolve and evolve, and we will do exactly that.

Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Mahsi, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As everyone knows, mines are funded by exploration activities, so exploration is essential if we are to find new and bigger mines in our territory. We need to remember that our four diamond mines in the Northwest Territories were all found by junior explorers. In the economic downturn of 2008, which we never recovered from, we had in the neighbourhood of $180 million a year spent on mineral exploration. This past year, we're probably down around 20 million, maybe $28 million, and it's largely a function of the low commodity prices. The Member knows mining is the largest part of our economy. It represents about 40 per cent of our economy. We have a Mineral Development Strategy, and we're working very closely with the Chamber of Mines and the mining industry to improve the environment, to deal with the regulatory process, while providing for balanced development by protecting the land and resources as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the Minister’s response. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please elaborate that if mining and exploration does not continue to be supported by our government, what will be the potential impacts and effects on our fiscal situation?

We are also investing in strategic infrastructure, but we have done some significant analysis of the importance of mining, specifically diamond mining in the Northwest Territories, and our analysis shows that for every year that one diamond mine operates it's worth $250 million to our economy, so if one diamond mine closes, that is how much value is lost from our economy. If we have one that is shut down for care and maintenance, that’s had significant impact. It's 500 jobs that are lost. Our approach is to try to keep what we have and also try to attract exploration back into the Northwest Territories. It's very difficult to do, because the miners have long memories and their money has legs.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you. This is my final question, and again I appreciate the Minister's reply. I wonder if the Minister would elaborate, aside from the mineral strategy, on what specific programs that we have in place for supporting mining and exploration.

We have a number of programs to help stimulate the mining industry. We have, as I said, the Mineral Development Strategy, which is a strategic plan to increase mineral exploration and mine development in order to ensure residents with a sustainable economy. We also have a Mining Incentive Program that provides partial support for junior mining companies and prospectors for exploration activities. This program has been oversubscribed since its launch two years ago and has been credited in several new mineral discoveries being made in the Northwest Territories. We also have introduced a two-year assessment work incentive to encourage more exploration activities. This program will provide a temporary incentive to assist the mineral exploration industry to maintain its mineral tenure through financially challenging times, and as I said, we are looking to utilize some of the federal infrastructure funding to provide some strategic investment so that it will make mining projects that have been approved more feasible and better able to access development funding.

Mahsi. Oral Questions. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to the Commissioner’s Opening Address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Honourable Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled, “Proposed Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents entitled, “Interim Estimates, 2016-2017”; “Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2015-2016”; and “Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2015-2016.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table two documents. The first one is from the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Bob McLeod, to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment. It's dated February 15, 2016, and I understand it was received by the Clerk's office at 5:18 p.m. It's about providing an update on the extension of the sunset clause for the Mackenzie Gas Project. The second document I'd like to table is from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment to the National Energy Board and the Office of the Oil and Gas Regulator, and it's dated February 15, 2016, and this was sent at 6:05 p.m.

Mahsi, Member for Frame Lake. Tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Member for Yellowknife Centre.