Bob McLeod

In reviewing some of the reasons for why it has taken so long, and as the Member indicated, in some instances, it has been 20, 25 years of negotiations. We have met with the Aboriginal governments to try to determine the problems, the stumbling blocks that have stopped us from settling these claims a lot earlier than this. We’ve had very good discussions. I think part of it is the mandates that are in place that don't allow us any flexibility. As I have said before, we have met with the federal Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and outlined how we saw us going forward. They are very...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased to recognize some relatives and some friends from my hometown of Fort Providence: Mayor Sam Gargan, Pearl Leishman, Susan Christie, Shirley Gargan, and Ricky Gargan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 14, tabling of documents.

---Unanimous consent granted

As I indicated to the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, I will be pleased to report back. Some of the discussions are embargoed and are on a confidential basis, but I have no problem sharing it with the standing committee on that basis.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I see the mandate that has been developed as our way forward and it will be incorporated into all of the mandate letters of all of the Ministers. This will guide all of our discussions going forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That is something that we would negotiate with the K'atl'odeeche First Nation. There are two different aspects of it: one is who determines who goes into the houses; and secondly, who will do the maintenance. We would need a maintenance agreement and also, we would need an agreement with the K’atl’odeeche First Nation as to how the units would be allocated.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that now we've all reached a clear understanding of who is responsible for what, and the fact that K'atl'odeeche First Nation have signed on to devolution. We've had some very good discussions with K'atl'odeeche First Nation, and I think we can work together to resolve the outstanding issue of the vacant housing that the Member refers to. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada is working with the K’atl'odeeche First Nation and the NWT Housing Corporation to draw up the federal land leases that require the approval of their federal minister. In order for the NWT Housing Corporation to provide home ownership programs and public housing, land tenure must be in place. Once the designation process is concluded and federal leases are provided to the NWT Housing Corporation, up to 16 units will become available for NWT Housing Corporation programming, with 10 units going to public housing and the remaining six being used for other...

As a government, we recognize that it is very important to develop confidence. We have been working very hard at it to gain the confidence of the industry. We know the importance of exploration in the Northwest Territories. Those people that are filling out these surveys, like the Fraser Institute, have long memories. Some of them have been in the North a long time ago and haven't been back since. But we’ve done a lot of work in this area.

We have developed a Mineral Development Strategy, which is a strategic plan to increase mineral exploration and mine development in order to ensure residents...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Minister of ITI, we take these reports very seriously as our exploration and mining industry depends on being able to obtain permits in a timely manner. Of course, this is a concern for the Government of the Northwest Territories and proof that we need to improve on and streamline our policies, and make the necessary changes in order to attract and reinvigorate our mining and exploration sector.

We are also committed to regulatory streamlining. One of next steps in our process of devolution and evolution is to examine our legislation and related processes in support...