This is page numbers 4731 - 4756 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 support. View the webstream of the day's session.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks to the Minister for that. Yes, the joint management proposal does reference the range planning exercise and the plan itself, but it doesn't actually contain any of the measures from the plan. The problem seems to be with the plan itself. The plan, which I think is a good one, contains specific recommendations for community guardianship, habitat conservation, mobile caribou conservation measures, road planning and management, and so on, but the problem is that that plan doesn't seem to carry much weight yet.

Can the Minister explain what the status of the range plan is and why almost none of it was incorporated into the joint management proposal?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

I will follow up on the status of the range plan. I will share it with this House, or I will share it with the Member.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Minister for that commitment. I look forward to an update on the range plan, and if I don't hear back before the end of the sitting, I might ask again, but maybe the Minister won't ever want to drive with me anywhere again.

Seriously, Mr. Speaker, lastly, there doesn't seem to be any new funds identified for the caribou crisis in the budget address earlier today. Can the Minister tell me whether there is any new funding for caribou in the 2019-2020 budget? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

The GNWT has committed considerable resources to the management of barren-ground caribou, and as the Member heard in our presentations to the communities that we visited, there are a number of other initiatives that we are working on. I have directed the department to put the plan together to come up with identifying the resources, the amount of resources, that we might need to implement some of these. One of them I think was expanding the Boots on the Ground program. I think there was the predator initiative that we are working on. So I have directed the Department of ENR to identify the places where we could get the funding and the amount of money that we might need so that we can implement these initiatives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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, the concern around a strike action is that, if the mediation process on the weekend does not go well, it will be a strike come Monday. We have an opportunity to stop that from happening by agreeing to binding arbitration before they get to the table. Is the Minister willing to consider that to prevent any potential for a strike, to cut it off from happening at all? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Finance.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I responded to the Member for Yellowknife Centre before, we are going into mediation this weekend, and we are going there with an attitude that we would like to see an agreement reached that benefits both the UNW, GNWT, and the people who we have been elected to serve from across the Northwest Territories. So I am not going to commit to anything until we get past this process of mediation, and I would like to see an agreement reached through that process.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

I appreciate the Minister's optimism. I have been optimistic for three years, and now we are at a really very dangerous situation for bringing additional division into our communities. Mr. Speaker, I asked about information the government is providing. The Minister spoke of an email he sent out earlier in question period, and he said that he'd read the email and it did not seem to inflame tempers. I have the text of the email, and it says "unionized employees who are considering coming to work during job action are encouraged to discuss their choice with their union representative," and then further, "If you would like to come to work during job action, you must contact your immediate non-unionized supervisor." Mr. Speaker, "encouragement" is different than contacting "your non-unionized supervisor." Is the Minister sure that he has read this email and that the message sent to employees is clear?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

The Member said in his Member's statement before and he apologized for missing the boat for the last three years, and now he is telling us he has been optimistic for the last three years. Which one is it? I did read the email correctly. It is encouraging them to speak to their union representative, and, once they speak to their union representative, then they can speak to their supervisor if they think they would like to come to work. Mr. Speaker, it's quite simple there, in the text, and I am sure most people out there understand it.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

What I meant in my Member's statement is that I should have been asking these questions three years earlier because the Minister has not led this process to a successful resolution. The Minister has led this process to a potential strike. So what is he doing, what actions, how is he approaching this differently, to result in a fair deal for northern workers?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

What I am doing is I am leaving it to those whom we have tasked to negotiate on our behalf and those who are tasked to negotiate on the union's behalf, with the understanding that I would like to see them come to a resolution through mediation this weekend, and, failing that, then we will take the next steps then.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister believe that, at this point, new direction is required, either a new strategy, either a new leader for that team? It just seems like things are at an impasse, and I am fearful to gamble on optimism at this point.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Much like the Member for Hay River North, I am optimistic. I have been optimistic in the 14 years that I have been in here, and I would like to see them come to an agreement this weekend that is beneficial to all. Failing that, again, we will have to decide on the next step. There is some back and forth that needs to be had yet, so let's let the people who we have tasked do that, and then, failing that, let's go political with it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement today, I talked about a road to Nechalacho, the Avalon mine. I would like to ask the Minister if he agrees that an all-season road to any potential mine increases investor comfort. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have spoken in this House many times, the lack of infrastructure is holding back some of the economic opportunities for the Northwest Territories. This particular road that the Member is talking about is an interesting concept, but this government has identified three strategic corridors in our mandate, and that's what we continue to keep our priorities on.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

On the viability of continuing to put a road in to the diamond mines, that is not something I am opposed to, but I think that this road might have more benefits to a complete road all the way up the Slave Geological at this time, although I am not in here prepared to talk against a road into the Slave Geological, but it is my opinion that the road into the Thor Lake would be something that is viable. I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister would take the step of consulting with the company to see what their feeling is on an all-season road that will run down from Ingraham Trail to Thor Lake.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

I meet with industry stakeholders all the time, and I am sure everyone that I even met at roundup would love to have a road to their project. The reality on the ground is this government has a mandate commitment, as I have said in my previous statement, and we will continue to focus on those. If Avalon would like to pursue a road, I am sure that they would like to have a conversation with myself and Indigenous governments that would be affected in that region, and I could sit down and have a conversation with them, but where that project would go from there would be dependent on a number of things.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

So the Minister is telling me that, if Avalon or the company that would be building the mine at Thor Lake would like to discuss possibility of having an all-season road built to their mine site, then they should come to the Minister to have that discussion and also that they should be prepared to do consultation with the YK Dene? Is that correct?

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Yes. As I have said, I would be willing to have a discussion with any mining proponent in the Northwest Territories that is looking to do investments in the NWT. What we can clearly do is have an open dialogue, conversation, about what they are thinking. If they are proposing a road in that region, we can clearly lay out what would need to take place to do that. I am not saying that this government or that future governments would support building a road strictly to one mine. That is not what I am saying. I am just saying we are open to having a conversation with them and clearly lay out a path that they would need to take.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.