Thanks, Mr. Chair. The intent of this motion is to provide the kind of clarity that the Minister has not been able to do in debate so far. What this does is actually codify the intentions that the Minister has already spoken about, of providing benefits for people of the Northwest Territories. Those benefits can take many forms. It could be a benefit agreement. It could be prescribed by regulations. It is all at the discretion of the Minister, but what this does is establish a clear trigger of a production licence. There is an end point here. This is when the benefits would kick in.
Furthermore, it would be only be for whatever the Minister prescribes by regulations. It might be mining projects over a certain value, $50 million. Whatever it might be, it is all prescribed at the Minister's discretion. This would establish a clear trigger, and in fact, it is the trigger that the Minister has already talked about. We want to get benefits from mines that go into production. That is what this is about.
The second part is a non-inclusive list of what may be considered as benefits. This list was not dreamed up out of thin air. This is a list of the table contents of the NICO socio-economic agreement, the last socio-economic agreement signed by this government during this Assembly. That is where this list comes from. It sets out an expectation that, gee, when we are talking about benefits, here are the things that we are starting to mean. Of course, it is all, again, at the discretion of the Minister, as it says the Minister "may include" these things, and then whatever else the Minister considers in the public interest.
The last part here, (3), is, if there is a change to the project in some way after the benefits arrangement has been put in place, the Minister could reconsider those benefits and reopen that. We already find that provision in the next part of the bill that we are going to deal with in terms of the Indigenous government agreements. This just includes that here so it gives the Minister the option of reopening the agreements as prescribed by regulations. Those thresholds and definitions of what a material change may be can be set out by regulation.
What this does is set out in language what the Minister has already said he intends to do. This provides the kind of clarity and certainty that the Minister has already talked about and gives him, or her, in the future, the flexibility to go off and decide these things at their discretion by regulation. This accomplishes what the Minister has already said that he intends to do, and I think that it provides the kind of clarity and certainty that industry has asked of us.
I look forward to my colleagues supporting this in the effort to provide certainty and clarity and to accomplish the things that the Minister has actually said he intends to do. Thank you, Mr. Chair.