Bob McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment have been working very closely with the Chamber of Mines and we have developed a Mineral Development Strategy that encompasses a number of factors. Exploration is the key to finding new projects, new opportunities for development. One of the areas that we are trying to do is to help stimulate exploration and we have a Mining Incentive Program, which we implemented in 2014 and are again funding for 2015. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have interacted significantly with the commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I met with the Prime Minister; he reconfirmed his priority to deal with Aboriginal people, and we as a government have responded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations and we will continue to work in that regard. With regards to the residential schools and the communities, we will continue to look to improve in that area, and as the Prime Minister has said, reconciliation should be a commitment by everybody in Canada.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a decision of Cabinet. Thank you.

The Yukon has a similar program and they spend $1.4 million in their Mining Incentive Program. We have identified $400,000 on an annual basis for our Mining Incentive Strategy. It's application-based and this year we received 12 corporate and nine prospector funding applications for a total of $1.1 million. We have to go through a review process to identify which ones we will fund. Certainly recognizing that mining is the largest part of our economy, it represents 40 per cent of our economy, we want to not only maintain what we have but we also want to find new prospects. Our experience with...

Those would be areas that I would have to follow up on, with regards to some of the specifics that the Member raises, but I do know that the federal government provides $5 million a year through the Department of Health and Social Services for community wellness programs. Certainly, in my mind and in my view, the examples the Member raised certainly would fit into that area.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Member for the question. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission final report is probably one of the major reports with regards to Aboriginal people and how residential schools affected them, and as the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, I'm the current chair of the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group. With the new federal government in place, they have placed working with Aboriginal people and Aboriginal governments as a top priority. We have always reached out to the federal government to participate in the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group, and I'm...

There is a media release that is going out and if there is a requirement for gazetting, then it will be gazetted. There did not seem to be an urgency because there is very little oil and gas activity going on, so all of the required processes would be done in due course.

When we have successful programs it becomes a matter of priorities and with the mandate that will be tabled on Monday and once finalized that will allow us to go forward with our business planning. Certainly, this would be an important area for consideration.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As everyone knows, mines are funded by exploration activities, so exploration is essential if we are to find new and bigger mines in our territory. We need to remember that our four diamond mines in the Northwest Territories were all found by junior explorers. In the economic downturn of 2008, which we never recovered from, we had in the neighbourhood of $180 million a year spent on mineral exploration. This past year, we're probably down around 20 million, maybe $28 million, and it's largely a function of the low commodity prices. The Member knows mining is the largest...

I will avoid that by having another minister assume the responsibilities as the oil and gas regulator. It has been assumed by Minister Louis Sebert.