Brendan Bell

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Member has accurately laid out the chain of events. But I would say that when we first met with the Deputy Prime Minister with also Ministers Goodale, Scott and Blondin-Andrew, we didn’t get down to specific numbers. We identified the challenge. We indicated that we are aware of why Imperial Oil had gotten to this point in their assertion that what properly constituted access and benefit agreements was not all that was being requested here. We acknowledge as governments that we have a responsibility and a role here and the federal government has a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I believe they were taken into account and I know it’s of utmost importance to the department that inmates are safe in the facility, inmates in the general population are not put at risk because of some of the folks in remand and vice versa. I know that an assessment is done for people coming into remand. If they are deemed to be high risk, then they’re transported to the North Slave Correctional Centre. But I’ll go back to the department and ensure that in fact the coroner’s inquest and that report were considered. That’s another thing I can come back to committee...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it’s a very important question, and I want to reiterate that this closure was done as an economizing measure. We felt that in terms of efficiency, in terms of making the best use of our funds, we could adequately handle remand prisoners in the facility and the general population if they weren’t of high risk, and high risk inmates could be transferred to the North Slave facility. But there is no doubt that this was based on the assumption that we could actually save money doing it. Admittedly, it’s not a program enhancement. If money were not an object, we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Northwest Territories Tourism 2003-04 Annual Report. Thank you.

I have had several meetings with the company on this issue. I have had a phone conversation with Joe Carrabba who has now moved on. He has been replaced and I have met with his replacement as well to better understand why the company felt the need to do this. We had some discussion and I think the Member has rightly articulated the issues that the company was faced with: a very hot economy in Western Canada; having to compete with the oil sands for labour; having to compete with other projects; the startup of the diamond mine in Nunavut; the Tahera Mine and generally just a booming economy....

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. It is difficult for me to know what the producers believe, but my sense is that the producers are looking for a framework or a box that access and benefits can be negotiated in. They believe that there are certain things that make up access and benefits, an amount of money, essentially a rent for use of the land. That is the realm they would like to see this in. However, they acknowledge that there are all of these other socioeconomic impacts in communities that need to be adequately dealt with, but they believe they are the responsibility of government. I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No. We had a long discussion around resource revenue sharing and the projected timeline for money to flow to northern governments. Optimistically, we were talking about probably 2007-08. Federal legislation would have to be changed in order for us to start to receive royalty revenues. What we were talking about was a way to bridge us to that point. We have pressing needs of communities up and down the valley now. We know royalty revenues can’t flow until 2007-08. We have a need now. We needed a bridge to get us there. That is why we entered into this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My apologies; that had slipped my mind. I will certainly commit to sitting down with the Member to talk about methodology for this review as we go forward. I think that’s very important and I’m sure the committee would not have objections to the Member sitting in on any committee discussions we have. But absent that, I’m certainly prepared to have individual discussions with the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well the business planning process is well underway now, departments are working on it and the reinstatement of the remand centre has not been contemplated, but I am prepared to track this and account for the savings and projected savings going forward with committee. I can come back to committee periodically throughout the year. There is nothing stopping us at the end of the year, should we determine that we really aren’t saving any money this way and it’s become an increased burden on the system and RCMP budgets. I say hypothetically at this point because I don’t...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to provide the House with an update on the Mackenzie gas project. On April 27, 2005, Imperial Oil Limited, on behalf of the Mackenzie Gas Producers Group, announced a shift of attention from engineering studies to an increased focus on the pressing regulatory issues associated with the proposed Mackenzie gas project. The producers group also expressed the view that the economic demands in access and benefit negotiations were beyond the scope of what properly constitutes those agreements.

The producers group also made it clear that they...