Statements in Debates
I disagree. I’m talking about exactly the same thing. I’m talking about funding those without Aboriginal treaty rights so that they have the ability to feed into the process exactly as this is being done for Aboriginal groups. In fact, one of the difficulties with our process, environmental review processes, for example, and other processes, such as the proposed Intergovernmental Council and so on, is the lack of recognition of the need for a budget in this area.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure what the Minister was talking about there. He certainly didn’t answer the question. I made no assertions. I was asking, as of April 1st, who will be responsible for assessing potential cleanup liabilities. Will it just be the land and water boards or ITI? I’m not sure why the defensive answer there. All of these questions lack the clarity we need, considering these things take effect April 1st. I have to ask why we did not create an NWT version of the NEB as originally intended. A made-in-the-NWT energy board could certainly have taken over from the NEB...
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m just wondering: what will the Minister’s role be in environmental assessment processes? I understand other departments of our government will be reporting to this Minister. Could I get a description? My understanding of the current process at the federal level, we’re taking over. Do the departments speak with their own voice into the process but we are proposing that you – this is my understanding, correct me if I’m wrong – will require that departments report to you. To me, this is removing an important series of voices from the process, but perhaps I could get the...
Questions, Mr. Chair.
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The fire marshal, what’s happening with that? Thank you.
Finally, just on the project assessment branch, I think this follows up a little bit on our original discussion here earlier today. Coordinates interdepartmental participation and environmental assessment processes and, eventually, and consensus building. Again, I thought each Minister was going to have and retain their own perspectives here, but this seems to mean that there’s going to be one piece of input that’s a consensus, so I’m just wondering what exactly that means in this process.
Being critical is my job. The NEB is playing a big role in enforcing workplace safety standards in the Sahtu, but the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission also has a role to play in regulating the workplace.
Can the Minister explain who will be in charge of workplace safety as of April 1st? Who will be inspecting oil and gas work sites to ensure that safety rules are being followed?
I think I followed most of that. Is it easy to define the general taxation area?
I can hold it.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’ve got a couple of questions here. I’m just looking down at the narrative here on page 16, and I see the land use planning and sustainability unit, the land use sustainability unit, the land use planning unit. That’s three different sections or divisions or whatever. The land use planning and sustainability unit and then we have the land use sustainability, then we have land use planning. There’s something that is just mind warping about this. Do we actually have, like, a manager or a director or something in each of these units and why the heck don’t we get rid of one...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to welcome Dr. Ewan Affleck, M.C., to the House today, a resident of Weledeh, and of course, welcome all of the Anti-Poverty Strategy Advisory Committee members that could make it today, and the mayor of Yellowknife, Mark Heyck. Mahsi.