This is page numbers 4315 - 4334 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was cannabis.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

I figured it would have been more than four members by now, but I know that there are a lot of challenges facing the RCMP in the territory, and you can't just send them all off for training. Hopefully we can get an updated timeline from the Minister about when all that training will be completed.

One concern that we saw in the media was that these roadside testing kits might fail in cold weather, and I want to know from the Minister: what has the department put in place to monitor the occurrence of false positives so that we are not wrongly charging our residents?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Yes. I understand that there have been some concerns about the reliability of these tests in cold weather. I am assured that the tests are quite reliable, and if they aren't, they will be tested in the courts.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want some clarification on that last answer. The Minister is aware that there have been concerns about the reliability, but he is not concerned about the reliability, so there is nothing in place to test the reliability. Is that correct? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Yes, I do understand that there are concerns about the reliability of the results of the tests. However, if there are concerns about the reliability, I am sure the defence counsel will attempt to make applications in court so that the reliability of those tests can be reviewed. I do understand, however, that the machines are quite reliable and have been tested in various locations and climates in Canada. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a number of constituents have approached me with concerns around international travel now that cannabis is legalized, particularly into the United States. I am wondering if the Premier, in his role as Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs, which includes intergovernmental relations, has had any conversations with the federal government as to how this is going to work? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The Honourable Premier.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I haven't had any specific conversations about international travel, but I do know that international borders are a federal responsibility and that the legalization of cannabis in Canada did not change Canada's border rules. Taking cannabis or any product containing cannabis across Canada's international borders is illegal and can result in serious criminal penalties both at home and abroad. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Earlier today the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction at the federal level gave a press conference and said that Canadians should be vigilant but otherwise should have no issues crossing the border. As relatively new information, and I don't think it is well-understood at this point, can the Premier reach out to his federal counterparts and get more information on the subject and clarify it so that Northern residents know it is safe to travel, where they can travel, and what they are allowed to do?

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Certainly, but we do know that it is illegal to travel with marijuana if you are going abroad. I believe the issue with the United States was that, if you worked in a facility involving marijuana and you went to the United States, it would be illegal. They later clarified that, as long as you were going on a holiday, it would be okay.

It is important for us to get more clarification from the United States rather than just getting it through the TV or through the media.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

I am glad the Premier shares my interest in this matter and agrees that it is important. When he does get this information from the United States or through the federal government, will he bring that report back to the House or at least make it available on government websites or through some sort of public statement? Can he commit to that?

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

I can commit to that, but in the meantime, Northwest Territories residents travelling abroad should consult with the Government of Canada's website around cannabis and international travel. Most countries, including the United States, have a zero-tolerance policy with respect to illegal drugs, including possession and use.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been two weeks since MTS cancelled the barge delivery to Paulatuk and the two communities outside the territory, and no tenders have been awarded yet, Mr. Speaker, which is increasing the cost of living for constituents in my region.

Mr. Speaker, I have follow-up questions for the Minister of Infrastructure on the MTS operations for the upcoming airlift to Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok, which do not include the gasoline delivery to Sachs Harbour. The Minister noted that he would not consider Tuktoyaktuk as a port for the North, given its ideal position as traffic increases in the Northwest Passage. My first question to the Minister is: the cost of the airlift has to come from somewhere, given there may be as many as 100 or more flights worth millions of dollars. My question is: will this additional cost fall on taxpayers in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I want to update the House a little bit on what I know what is going on today. The tenders have been awarded, and I believe the first flight is going into Paulatuk probably today, hauling fuel, so that process is under way.

As far as Sachs Harbour, the Member e-mailed me asking me about Sachs Harbour for fuel. I have looked into that matter, and Sachs Harbour has significant gasoline in their community, so that isn't an issue.

As far as where we are going to recover the cost of funding this operation, the fuel is going to come out of the POL revolving account, and for the transportation of commodities and goods going into the community, it is going to come out of the MTS revolving fund. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

I appreciate the response, and it's good to see. I looked on the website this morning. There were no tenders awarded, and hopefully that process can start soon.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister stated that this error for not delivering fuel was due to ice. However, will the Minister commit to ensure that petroleum products are inspected and meet the requirements before allowing onto any MTS barges so that this doesn't happen again or commit to other shipping methods?

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

The fuel situation is part of the delay, and tomorrow I'm doing a Minister's statement on the whole issue around this marine, MTS, and the supply and stuff. We will be updating the House there. I am actually going to reach out to committee and ask them if they want a briefing on this whole issue.

The fuel that caused some of the delays this year was not even fuel for us. It was for a customer. It was shipped to Hay River via the railroad, and it did not meet spec when it reached there. Then we are not talking like 5, 10 gallons of fuel here. We are talking about hundreds of millions of litres, and that caused a significant delay. That is something that was part of the proponents problem. It wasn't even our fuel. It wasn't for our communities. It was a customer's problem, but we will work closely with the oil company.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

It's good to have good answers, and I believe that the Minister is doing his work for that. However, MTS is a carrier of products, whether they are petroleum products or dry goods around the territory, and I see this as a logistical issue.

Mr. Speaker, I think what we really need to do, or the department needs to do, is pinpoint where this error started and work from there. My question to the Minister is: will the Minister be accountable for this, or will he ensure that the people who did not do their due diligence of their work are accountable for this and that we ensure that errors like this do not happen again, as shipping is a small window of opportunity in the territory?

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

First of all, I answered the question last week, where the Member ended it saying that was an error, and I said that this isn't an error. This is a combination of a whole bunch of factors. When I do my Minister's statement tomorrow, I will clearly lay it out.

There are certainly lessons learned from this thing. I am not saying that the department is not going to learn something from this. Of course, we are going to learn something from this. I think with the announcement that we just did in Hay River around the double-hull barges, it is going to help alleviate some of the situation. I referred last week, maybe we do have to change our scheduling, but that's something that we have to look at. We are going to have to work closely with all our partners, with the communities, with the Canadian coastguard, and maybe we do look at something in Tuktoyaktuk.

At this point right now, to clearly blame some individual or some people within my department that this was an error on our part is clearly not true. This was a combination of a number of things and that's why I have offered committee a briefing to go through this all, so everyone can know clearly where we stand and what the situation was.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the response. Mr. Speaker, you know, it sounds like somebody was asleep at the wheel somewhere along the way. In this case, it's the wheel house in this area for MTS for them to wake up into freezing ice and not be able to move anywhere.

I appreciate the work that the Minister is doing, and I appreciate his work all around. However, somebody needs to be accountable somewhere and we cannot deflect this any further. My question to the Minister is: with this air-lift affect the future rates to be paid by MTS customers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

No, this air-lift will not affect future rates. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.