Bob McLeod

There was no breach involved whatsoever. Five mandate items were all agreed to by this Assembly. It is in the mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories. I will be tabling the mandate document before the end of this sitting. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We all spent about six months working together on developing a mandate for the Government of the Northwest Territories. As part of signing this letter, it was to promote five mandate items that were in the mandate. The work with some of the Premiers related to Bill C-69 also allowed me to advance Northwest Territories interests, including ensuring efficient and effective regulatory process for transboundary projects and in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region; also to promote oil and gas; and also mining and other significant projects. Why it was so critical, I felt, is because it would apply to...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the Members that the Honourable Glen Abernethy will be absent in the House today due to illness. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome my colleagues back for the final sitting of the 18th Legislative Assembly.

The past four years have been busy, and we have done a lot of good work together. We have also had a few spirited discussions about how to decide what is best for the people who we serve as Members of this Assembly.

Throughout our term, our decisions have been guided by the mandate we adopted unanimously at the beginning of this Assembly and revised in October 2017.

As we come to the close of this Assembly, I am pleased to report that through our work together, we have fulfilled 202 of...

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to update this Assembly on negotiations toward the shared management of oil and gas resources in the Northwest Territories offshore.

Mr. Speaker, beginning in the late 1980s, the Government of Canada committed to negotiating a Government of the Northwest Territories role in the management of oil and gas in the Northwest Territories offshore. More recently, the Devolution Agreement of 2013 committed Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories, with the participation of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, to commence negotiations within 60 days for the...

I had called for a national debate on the future of the Arctic a year ago, but I have not yet had any direct discussions with the Prime Minister on this issue, though I have been clear in my statements in this legislature and publicly that I think that Canada needs to take steps to strengthen its position in the Arctic.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a Page from Yellowknife South, Andrea Geraghty, and all of the other Pages who have been here for the past three weeks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

All of the major federal political parties should have platform positions on how to strengthen Canada's position in the Arctic. I am working to raise the profile of the Arctic, and will look at many opportunities including letters to the political party leaders to get this issue the attention it deserves in the upcoming federal election. I should point out that, four years ago, we wrote letters to all of the political parties and their leaders, and we had very good, detailed responses to the questions that we raised, so it's certainly a good way to getting attention during the federal...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have spoken publicly that the Arctic needs to be higher on the Government of Canada's agenda. The Government of Nunavut is supportive of this message. I am committed to raising the issue of strengthening Canada's position in the Arctic with Premier Savikataaq of Nunavut and Premier Silver of Yukon when we meet in early June. The geopolitical context of the Arctic is shifting, and I anticipate that recent events, like the statements made by the United States on the Northwest Passage, will be raised and create an interesting discussion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Each nomination will be considered based on how the proposed building name reflects historical, cultural, and geographic significance. The submissions have been referred to the Northwest Territories Honours Advisory Council to provide a recommendation to the Executive Council on a name for each of the three government office buildings. Executive Council will consider the recommendations once they are received.