Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do have a motion on the public review of horizontal hydraulic fracturing.

WHEREAS on May 8, 2014, the NWT Elders Parliament unanimously supported a motion calling for a moratorium on fracking (horizontal hydraulic fracturing) in the NWT;

AND WHEREAS on March 12, 2014, a petition signed by 790 people from at least 24 NWT

communities insisting that the GNWT exercise its authority under the MVRMA to refer future fracking applications to a full environmental assessment that includes public hearings was presented in this House;

AND WHEREAS the GNWT response to that petition does not provide for any substantive public review to address the concerns expressed by members of the public;

AND WHEREAS the GNWT response to the recent horizontal hydraulic fracturing application from Husky failed to acknowledge that the public is concerned about fracking and, therefore, should be referred for an environmental assessment;

AND WHEREAS the Council of Canadian Academies released a report in April 2014, titled “Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada” that recommends a cautious approach to horizontal hydraulic fracturing and says more research and information is needed on its environmental impacts;

AND WHEREAS many jurisdictions, including the Canadian jurisdictions of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Quebec, have imposed moratoria on hydraulic fracturing until further research and review;

AND WHEREAS the impacts of hydraulic fracturing are wide-ranging and not well understood, especially in the North;

AND WHEREAS many people in the NWT are concerned about serious, lasting impacts on our people, land, water, air, climate, fish and wildlife;

AND WHEREAS the issue of horizontal hydraulic fracturing with its related exploitation activities can overwhelm and divide communities;

AND WHEREAS community members of all ages need to be fully informed, consulted and involved in discussions around hydraulic fracturing and the risks and benefits in their regions;

AND WHEREAS the federal government allows fracking in Canada without enough understanding of the environmental impacts and the Northwest Territories has allowed the first projects to go ahead with minimum environmental assessment;

AND WHEREAS more applications for hydraulic fracturing are before the Sahtu Land and Water Board right now;

AND WHEREAS both the oil companies involved have announced that there will be a pause in their fracking operations and they will not frack any more wells for the next two to three years;

AND WHEREAS the Northwest Territories has the authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing within our territory;

AND WHEREAS the Northwest Territories needs more baseline information and better monitoring

plans that involve elders, the community and traditional knowledge;

AND WHEREAS a fracking operation in one region of the NWT will have impacts on every other region of the NWT;

AND WHEREAS we need to act in the best interest of our youth and future of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS Section 144 of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act provides for the establishment of a committee to study the effects of existing or future physical activities carried out in a region of the Mackenzie Valley;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that, in recognition of the clear public concern about fracking, the Government of the Northwest Territories immediately refrains from supporting any hydraulic fracturing proposals until a full and public assessment has been completed that demonstrates that the impacts of fracking and related development on the North are better understood, and demonstrates that it can manage this technology in a way that ensures the integrity of our environment and communities;

AND FURTHER, that the Government of the Northwest Territories report back with the results of this public assessment within 12 months.