Is there a working group that currently brings together Health and Social Services, Housing, and ECE? Thank you.

The intergovernmental working group is made up of eight departments, so it includes not just the Health and Social Services, as suggested. It also includes Education, Culture and Employment; Municipal and Community Affairs; Finance; Environment and Natural Resources; Industry and Tourism, which allows the government to collaborate across government on policies and programs to support outcomes established on reduction of poverty in our communities and avoids working in silos. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake. Thank you.

Merci, Monsieur le President. As I understand it, the previous cabinet approved the Bathurst Caribou Range Plan. Can the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources tell us how he intends to implement this range plan when there are no resources or timelines identified in the plan? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member. Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ENR is committed to work with our partners to implement the Bathurst Caribou Range Plan. The range plan serves to guide the GNWT and others carrying out activities in wildlife and land management. GNWT has committed considerable resources to the management of the Bathurst herd, including the range plan activities. Last year, ENR received an additional $6.8 million over five years to support actions for the barren land caribou herd, and additional funds required beyond current resources will be assessed as the range plan is implemented.

I want to thank the Minister for that great news about more money being available, and I look forward to the details of that. I have reviewed the Bathurst Caribou Range Plan and acknowledge that it was collaboratively developed and its technically sound. The problem has been with habitat protection, where virtually nothing has been done in terms of execution. Can the Minister tell us when this government is finally going to protect key habitat, either temporarily, with recommended mobile caribou-conservation measures, or permanent land withdrawals?

The government is currently working with our co-management partners to identify high-priority habitats through traditional knowledge workshops with elders and land users. As well, once areas are identified, the government will work with our partners to identify appropriate ways for protection.

I want to thank the Minister for that. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time. This is an emergency. We know where some of these areas are. There have been several traditional knowledge studies and other work that has identified this key habitat. Key habitat lies on both sides of the NWT-Nunavut boundary. Can the Minister provide an update as to the status of the negotiations towards a transboundary caribou agreement with the Government of Nunavut, and what role will Regular MLAs play?

The government works closely with the Government of Nunavut and our co-management partners in the management of the Bathurst herd. The two governments signed an MOU to work together on caribou research, monitoring, and management of shared barren-ground caribou herds in 2017, and we presently are working to update that MOU. ENR has committed to provide the committee with a briefing on caribou management, which will include an update on our relationship with Nunavut on caribou.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that, and I look forward to the briefing and actually seeing a signed transboundary agreement some point soon, but the Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board, in approving the joint management proposal, the most recent one, directed that an adaptive management framework be developed for the Bathurst and Bluenose-East caribou herds. The Minister has accepted that recommendation, so can he tell us how this adaptive framework is going to help with recovery of these herds, and whether actions will finally include habitat protection? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I'd like to thank the Member for bringing these up. It's important, and he keeps us on our toes, and I appreciate that. I thank him for these questions here today. The Tlicho Government and the Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board are currently working together to develop an adaptive management framework for the Bathurst herd. The Barren-land Caribou Technical Working Group has prepared a draft framework. This framework will help us make decisions by all co-management partners on the Bathurst caribou herd management, including habitat protection. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Colleagues, before we continue, I'd just like to remind Members to please slow down. We have a number of interpreters with us here today, and they like to get everything that you say. Just a reminder; I catch myself doing it myself, so just a reminder. Thanks again. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Question 8-19(2):
Teck Resources Frontier Mine

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. The 24,000-acre Teck Resources Frontier tar sands mine is heading for a decision by the federal government very soon. It's going to operate for over 40 years. An independent panel has reviewed the project and found that there would be high-magnitude, irreversible impacts on the environment; it's upstream of us. So I'd like to ask the Minister whether this government has actually participated in the environmental assessment of this project. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The environmental assessment for Teck Frontier began in January 2012. The government did not make a submission to the Environmental Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. At the time of the environmental assessment, the GNWT was actively negotiating with the Government of Alberta towards a bilateral water management agreement. The Alberta-NWT bilateral water management agreement addresses concerns related to upstream development and was signed in March 2015. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the Minister for that. The GNWT previously has opposed these kinds of upstream developments, whether they are pulp mills, tar sands projects, and so on. We actually got to appoint somebody to one of these panels at one point, a resident of the Northwest Territories. Our government has been on record as opposing these sorts of things in the past, so I'd like to know whether our government has actually taken a position on the Teck Resources Frontier tar sands mine.

Under the Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement, which was signed by the federal government, NWT, Alberta, Yukon, BC, and Saskatchewan in 1997, each party to the agreement maintains the right to manage the use of water resources within its own jurisdictions, providing the ecological integrity of the aquatic ecological system is maintained. The GNWT's position is that upholding this agreement ensures that the commitment of the bilateral agreement with Alberta is adhered to.

That's great to hear from the Minister, that we've got a transboundary water agreement, but that shouldn't stop us from taking a position on this project that's upstream of us. We're not going to get any benefits; we're just going to get the effluent downstream. I'd like to know from the Minister: he's talked about this transboundary water agreement with Alberta. What help can that agreement give us in terms of adverse impacts?

The Alberta-NWT bilateral water management agreement was signed in March 2015. This agreement makes a clear commitment that Alberta will maintain the health of the aquatic ecological system of our shared waters, which include water quality, quantity and biology of the Slave River. Upstream monitoring by Alberta and the federal government provides the GNWT with an early warning of changes and an opportunity to mitigate effects before they are realized at the border. The GNWT monitors water quality and the biological indicators at the Alberta territorial border and has developed a system of triggering with Alberta to protect all of these areas, including traditional use.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that response. Monitoring is great, but how is that actually going to protect residents of the Northwest Territories from this upstream development? What is this agreement, and what is this government actually prepared to do to protect our residents and our environment? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Member raises a valid concern. Again, ENR is in communication with the Government of Alberta and the federal government related to commitments under the transboundary agreements. These include prior notification, sharing of monitoring results, maintaining ecological integrity, cost-sharing arrangements, and staff capacity and engagement. As well, I can tell this House that I'm reaching out to the Minister from Alberta and to the Minister of the federal government responsible for this, and we are trying to work together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.