Thank you, Madam Chair. Bill 29, Resource Royalty Information Disclosure Statute Amendment Act received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on June 1st, 2021, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment for review. The standing committee held a public hearing with the sponsoring Member on September 15th, 2021. Presentations were provided from the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, the Mining Association of Canada, and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Through the public engagement period, committee also received submissions from the Tlicho Government, Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, the Mining Association of Canada, Arctic Canadian Diamond Company, the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, and Alternatives North. Submissions on the bill were polarized. Industry was not supportive. Other stakeholders expressed support with the intent of the bill. Members held varying positions. Committee was concerned whether the bill would duplicate information available under the Extractive Sectors Transparency Measures Act but recognized there was differences in the royalty payments reported through ESTMA and the GNWT'S public accounts. There was concern that Bill 29 implicated the mining sector to disclose information not required of other sectors such as quarrying or forestry. The committee recognized that even if Bill 29 was enacted, the Minister would still hold discretion on whether to disclose confidential information. The committee was concerned with the unknown risks regarding potential breaches of confidential information made available through Bill 29. A clause-by-clause review was held on September 15th, 2021, and the committee could not reach agreement on how to proceed with the bill it was recommended to proceed for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Individual Members may have other additional questions and comments. Thank you, Madam Chair.