Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Lands.

Regarding the Prairie Creek Mine site, could the Minister inform me when the most recent third-party assessment of environmental liabilities was made, and:

Who conducted it?

What was the scope of this assessment (that is, what was included in the assessment)?

What was the amount of the liabilities estimated to exist?

Can the Minister table this report?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I have another written question if I may?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to getting the information from the Minister. The last question I have on this is this. I did attend a public consultation session on the Thaidene Nene last year. I was a bit alarmed to hear the Minister of the day of Environment and Natural Resources say that the primary objective of the territorial government was to limit the federal footprint in the Northwest Territories with regard to Thaidene Nene. I don't think that's a good idea. The feds actually can bring money to the table, and actually have a lot of experience with co-managing parks. I just want to ask the Minister. Is it still a primary objective of the GNWT to try to limit to federal footprint in the Northwest Territories with regard to Thaidene Nene? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the answer from the Minister. Can the Minister tell us when we might expect to see a legislative proposal for the Territorial Parks Act?

I want to thank the Minister for the response. I think one of the key pieces that's missing to get this going a little more quickly is a review of the Territorial Parks Act. This is an ancient piece of legislation that dates from the 1970s that helped us set up roadside campgrounds, and it really needs to be updated to provide for much bigger protected areas, landscape-level sort of protection. Is the Minister prepared to review and amend the Territorial Parks Act?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker and my apologies to the Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources that I didn't give him a heads-up, but I’d like to ask him some questions about Thaidene Nene, if I may. I think these are sweetheart questions, so I think they are going to be pretty easy for him to answer.

---Laughter.

There's a rather large land withdrawal that has been set aside for this area and some of it dates back to 1970, and I think that's a good thing, but as I understand, that land withdrawal is going to expire on March 31 of this year. Is the department prepared to extend the land withdrawal? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the response from the Minister. I'd be happy to work with him on this issue. I've got a little bit of experience in this area and would be happy to share that with him, though Canadians south of 60 degrees are entitled to participant funding through federal environmental assessment legislation. Here in the Northwest Territories there's the Interim Resource Management Assistance Program, or IRMA, to build capacity in Aboriginal governments outside the areas covered by land rights agreements. This is a very helpful initiative, but can the Minister tell us whether the GNWT is prepared to enhance our resource management legislation with a real participant funding program that is actually legislated? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the Minister's response and his work with his earpiece as well, but the benefits of participant funding are well documented and they include building confidence in our environmental management system and creating buy-in for our residents while considering projects. I'm wondering if the Minister can just provide a little bit more information about what specifically the GNWT is prepared to do to push this issue with the federal government. I understand he mentioned letters that have been sent in the past, but is this something he'd be prepared to take up with the new Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I'm glad I'm not a pencil today.

---Laughter

The current federal government has realized the mistakes associated with excluding Canadians from pipeline project assessments and has announced changes in the way that citizens can be involved in such decisions in the future. Can the Minister of Lands tell this House what he is prepared to do to ensure NWT residents have access to the resources necessary to meaningfully participant in environmental assessments?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It's my understanding that the Department of Lands now coordinates GNWT participation in environmental assessment. Since the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act came into force in 1998, participant funding has been made available for exactly three of the more than 70 environment assessments or impact reviews that have taken place. Can the Minister of Lands tell this House who is responsible for participant funding for environment assessments in the Northwest Territories? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.