Bob McLeod

After the three-year environmental assessment that was approved in 2014, construction of Site C began in 2015. The estimated completion date for Site C is 2024, and as the project had already received approval, we had already submitted our comments, and we did not write to the British Columbia Premier or the British Columbia government.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories fully participated in the environmental assessment process associated with the proposed Site C hydroelectric project. In submissions to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, better known at CEAA, the Government of the Northwest Territories provided technical comments and concerns about potential downstream impacts from the Site C dam. The Government of the Northwest Territories also provided recommendations to address potential downstream effects to aquatic ecosystems, traditional harvesters, and communities in the...

I believe we already have such an agreement, the Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement, in which negotiations began in 1960, was signed in 1997, and commits the Governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Yukon, and Canada, and now includes Nunavut, towards cooperatively managing the water and aquatic ecosystems of the entire Mackenzie River Basin.

This agreement makes provisions for the parties to negotiate bilateral water management agreements to waters that are shared directly between two jurisdictions, and as per the master agreement, the Northwest...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled "Letter to Minister Bennett from Gary Vivian, President NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines Regarding Northern Minerals Industry Submission on the Arctic Policy Framework, dated February 28, 2018." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Following the three-year environmental assessment process, the Site C project received federal and provincial approval in 2014. Construction of the Site C expansion project began in 2015, and the decision to approve the project included 80 conditions, which are intended to prevent or reduce impacts to the Peace River.

As well, our government negotiated transboundary water agreements with Alberta and also with British Columbia. The Transboundary Water Agreement with British Columbia primarily focuses on the Liard River basin, whereas the Peace River system flows into Alberta, so we are relying...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ten years ago, the BC Minister of Energy along with a planeload of BC hydro officials flew down to Yellowknife to advise our government that they would be proceeding with building Site C and that they were proceeding into an environmental assessment mode. At that time, we advised them of our experience with the effects of the Bennett Dam. We were concerned about it. They told us that Site C would only have a 12-kilometre reach downstream of Site C, so we shouldn't have to worry about it, but we told them that we didn't believe that. Our experience is that it would have...

Through the environmental assessment process for Site C, the Government of the Northwest Territories provided numerous submissions, including advice regarding potential downstream impacts to aquatic ecosystems in the Northwest Territories.

Our Government of the Northwest Territories submissions are pubic and are available on the Canadian and environment assessment agency's website. The Government of the Northwest Territories incorporated into its submissions concerns heard about the Site C expansion from Northwest Territories residents and Indigenous governments and organizations. As the Member...

Once again, I reiterate that the North Slave Metis Alliance filed their statement of claim to the federal government yesterday. As well, the Government of the Northwest Territories has completed the preliminary assessment of the North Slave Metis Alliance asserting Aboriginal rights claims and is in the process of disclosing these findings to the North Slave Metis Alliance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to advise the Member that yesterday the North Slave Metis Alliance filed their statement of claim to the Government of Canada. It is our government's position that all Indigenous Aboriginal peoples of the Northwest Territories should have their Aboriginal and treaty rights clarified and confirmed in modern agreements.

We would be pleased to discuss it with committees certainly, if it is appropriate. I am just wondering. Our experience has been that sometimes it affects the input from people who are there, but certainly, I have no problem with it. We should at least have a discussion on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.