Brendan Bell

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I can see from the Premier’s applause that he as well has seen this first hand, the telegraph wires and other left-behind articles from the ‘40s. It’s important that we get this cleaned up. Obviously we want to have this issue addressed before we talk about land transfer. We think it’s a federal responsibility. We’re making that argument and that case that they in fact should clean it up. So we’re in discussions in that regard. We’ll have more of those as we meet in November. I can say that before we take over transfer of this land, we want to have that addressed. Thank you.

Not specifically to this section, Mr. Chairman, but I will restate the commitment that we will come back with the regulations package and we will sit down with committee. I've also made the commitment to committee to talk about the communications plan; that holds. We will make good on that commitment. Specifically, and this will be developed in regs, how we come up with some vehicles that deal with those who are negligent in remitting fees to the government, we've got some ideas and we're going to put those down and consult on those and come back to committee on that respect specifically....

Thank you. I appreciate the Member's thoughts and input. I think that's very valuable. I think there were a number of good points that he made.

To the point about effectively what would, I guess, constitute access and benefit agreements when it comes to tourism and our outfitting operators, there's no reason that that couldn't happen with new operations now on, say, Sahtu lands in your region. Mr. Chairman, that arrangement could certainly be made. It is more difficult to go back with people who have had licences in the past and have some expectation of certainty in their business model...

I would, Mr. Chairman, thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Jury Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly I will ask the regional staff to visit Tulita, talk to the community leadership about what they feel the promises were. We do have records going back. I'm not sure we have the specific discussions, and the Member is right; we don't want to get into a you promised, he said, she said debate. Clearly, we can't afford to give everybody in the Northwest Territories a freezer, so we do have to go back to the arrangements that were made and the commitments that were made. We will do that, Mr. Speaker. I give the Member my commitment in that regard. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me say that no, I was not aware of a commitment made in that regard, if one was made. A little bit of history, Mr. Speaker. I think in the mid-90s there were 17 communities who had community freezers and I think some of them had more than more, but certainly not more than two. At that point, the government made a decision to get out of funding the O and M for these community freezers for a variety of reasons. Cost was one of them. Upkeep was another. When freezers fail, obviously the entire community's subsistence harvest can be lost, Mr. Speaker. So we...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, with me today is Mark Aitken, our director of legislation, Department of Justice. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I know it’s a little out of the ordinary, but I would also like to say hello to my daughter Emily who is at home watching, I understand. Daddy won’t be home for supper.

---Laughter

I’m sorry. I love you and be nice to your sister.

---Laughter

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak to Bill 6, which proposes to enact the new Engineering and Geosciences Professions Act. The new act will provide for the continuation of the present Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of the Northwest Territories.

As the new Northwest...

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I'm sure the Member doesn't want a trick. In fact, we will sit down, talk to the community. My staff are listening. I'm sure we're busily going over people's schedules and trying to figure out how we can get somebody in there as quick as possible. So I will make the commitment that we will move as quickly as we possibly can, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.