Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for the question. On February of 2023, the federal Minister of northern affairs accepted the Tlicho government's request to conduct a regional strategic environmental assessment in the South Slave Geological Province. This study is being led by the Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada under part 5.2 of the federal Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. A regional strategic environmental assessment is anticipated to offer opportunities for meaningful Indigenous and public engagement with participant funding provided by the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to push a bit more on that one because the Minister mentioned that there will be participant funding once the study gets underway, but my question is will there be any public participation in designing the terms of reference of the study? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the study and the whole process is led by the federal government so that's not a question I can answer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wonder if the Minister can explain the value that his department sees in doing cumulative impact assessments, so in this case a regional strategic environmental assessment, before individual applications are considered by a piecemeal environmental assessment, so the value in doing cumulative impact assessment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's value in sharing information collected or gathered by the coordinated project -- corridor project and/or regional study for these two initiatives as they advance. We're in the early stages of developing the terms of reference for the regional study, and the timeline for the study has not yet been finalized. The advantage specifically here is for the participants to, you know, work together in ensuring that all of the information is shared with everyone that needs to know. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wonder what the Minister can commit to do in having his department work with the Department of Infrastructure to understand the value of the regional strategic environmental assessment as preparations are made for the SGP Road Project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ensuring that we are sharing the information that comes out of these studies as we move forward collectively, gathering information is certainly important. I think it's a big part of ensuring that the projects are moving together collaboratively. And in the early stages of developing the terms of reference, we want to ensure that the timelines for the study are accurate. And to specifically questions related to the criteria and the timeline for the regional study, we -- oh, sorry, the GNWT is not -- my apologies, Mr. Speaker, could I ask the Member to repeat the question, please.

Member from Yellowknife North, please rephrase your question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So this is a question of cumulative impact assessment that looks at the whole region in a holistic way, and then we have a road project that this government is leading that, if it pushes ahead, will have to have a specific environmental assessment done for it but there's value in seeing a holistic regional assessment to understand the broader impacts before going ahead with the road project. So what I was getting at was given that the Department of Environment and Climate Change includes many staff working on cumulative impact assessment, what can the department do to work with the Department of Infrastructure to understand the value of that work as they plan the road project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. I think the key to success here is that the departments all work together and look at it from a whole-of-government approach in how we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now that Canada and the GNWT's bound legally by section 35 in UNDRIP to bring themselves in compliance with Treaty 8 and Treaty 11 rights, the question is how is this new government working to implement section 35 UNDRIP with existing treaties in partnership with Indigenous governments? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Could you tell me who you're asking?

Premier. Mahsi.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So with the passage of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Implementation Act, we are now obliged through that legislation to develop an action plan for implementation of UNDRIP, and that is going to be -- and it's legislated to be co-developed with Indigenous governments, and so that is the avenue to address a lot of these issues. And if there is things such as taxation that the government would like addressed, the time to bring it up is right at the beginning so that work can happen during the development of that action plan. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Part of the oath of office for all the MLAs, again, it just talks about that we'll continue to honour and respect the treaties signed with Indigenous governments, so help me God. So I am happy to hear that from the Premier. Thank you for that.

How do we ensure future laws do not impose taxes on First Nations in breaching trust -- sorry, breach of their treaty rights on Treaty 8 and Treaty 11 territory? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And we are going through that process right now, and that is the land claim and self-government negotiations. I think that is what we need to conclude to ensure that there is a well-defined relationship between the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Government of Canada, and the governments in Treaty 8 territory. And so in terms of the Akaitcho treaty that we hope to finalize in the not too distant future, that would be the place to identify those relationships, and that is why it is important that we get that AIP concluded, to reference the Member's questions from the other day. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Premier. Mr. Speaker, as you know that the territorial council -- or the Territorial Council Act was created in 1967. That's 67 years ago. So my question to the primary is will the Premier consider developing some taxation to Indigenous governments as to how they're going to deal with taxation on treaties? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, again, that's the work that is happening as we negotiate the Akaitcho treaty, and so I look forward to that progressing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final oral supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you. And I understand the negotiation process. I was part of that process as well. Going back to 1967 to date, so it'd be nice if this government could start looking as to how we're going to be dealing with taxation through that process so that -- sorry? To the question. The question is basically through negotiations that the taxation compensation to Akaitcho Treaty 8 be looked at from 1967 going forward? Thank you.