David Ramsay

Again, as we continue to move forward, obviously discussions with the federal government are of great importance to us. We thank them for the commitment, the $150 million commitment to the Tuk-Inuvik Highway Project, but we certainly have to come up with what’s next, find a way forward.

We’ve got the next steps with the Mackenzie Valley Highway and I think that’s a project where there’s a great deal of interest in a project like that in Ottawa with the federal government for building the North, this territory, sovereignty and development. There’s a number of issues there that the federal...

Certainly we will take the Member’s concerns seriously. Right now the regulatory process is not in the hands of the Government of the Northwest Territories; it rests with another body. After we conclude negotiations on devolution, responsibility for managing our lands, waters and resources will rest with the Government of the Northwest Territories, at which time we can take every step to ensure that we know what is happening there. I will certainly get back to the Member as to the current disposition of the episode that he is concerned with in Cameron Hills. Thank you.

Madam Chair, again, I thank the Member for raising the concern on the road to Willow River and the gravel source outside of Aklavik. It is in the 20-year needs assessment but I believe there is always, as we move forward – we talked about this before – there is going to be a number of competing projects for those capital dollars.

Obviously this is an issue that is important to the Member, so getting the support of other Members is helpful, and continue to talk about the project and its importance to the people of Aklavik and the Mackenzie Delta is something I look forward to the Member doing.

I...

That’s common business practice for us to act as an intervener in environmental assessment. So, going forward, that would be the case. Certainly the more information we have on fracking, the research… I know the department is following it close as are the folks at ENR. We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with and we’re fully intent on finding out what fracking is and, again, weighing the pros against the cons, the economic benefits versus protecting the environment. I think at the end of the day we’ve got a regulatory process in place here in the Northwest Territories that’s going to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. Obviously this is an issue that we are paying close attention to. Fracking is a practice that has been utilized in Canada since 1990. I think the Member referenced it being banned in some provinces and territories in this country. To my knowledge, that hasn’t happened. It is currently suspended in the province of Quebec, pending environmental review, but to my knowledge it hasn’t been banned in any other province or territory in this country.

I would agree with the Member; I think we have to separate fact from fiction when it comes to...

Mr. Speaker, of all sectors, tourism presents the greatest likelihood of creating economic opportunities in each region, and for each community, especially in the smaller communities. Today I would like to talk about a few specific initiatives to grow tourism in the Northwest Territories.

We are now in the first year of Tourism 2015: New Directions for a Spectacular Future, the Government of the Northwest Territories’ five-year tourism investment plan.

One of the first priorities under this plan was to establish an Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council. The council was formed this past...

Thank you. I would envision the type of outreach and educational program that’s going to be looked at for communities is going to be something people can understand. It’s going to be at a level where people can get a better understanding of what fracking is. As far as residents in the Northwest Territories wanting to provide input, that opportunity, if the meetings get to communities across the territory, people will have that opportunity to provide their input. Again, I think we need to get all the facts on the table and chart a course justly. Thank you.

There’s certainly a lot of potential in the Northwest Territories, both in oil and gas development. In the Sahtu region, certainly across the river from Norman Wells there’s a lot of potential there for oil where fracking could be utilized to extract that oil.

We need to work with the regulators, the NEB. We need to work with AANDC, the federal government and ourselves to come up with a plan. Currently – I know my colleague Minister Miltenberger spoke of this the other day – there is a plan in place to coordinate efforts, to reach out to communities, and it will start in the Sahtu to let people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize our visitors from Ulukhaktok and the Nunakput riding, specifically Patrick Joss. I know some other Members have talked about Patrick. He’s a real ambassador for the community of Ulukhaktok and the riding of Nunakput and it’s great to see him here in the House today.

Mr. Speaker, we need to move forward, and I spoke earlier of continuing the momentum. I think lobbying the federal government, talking about the Mackenzie Valley Highway at any opportunity that we have publicly, in this forum, at constituency meetings, any chance we get with the federal government or provincial counterparts. Keeping it on the radar, I think, is one of the most important things as we move this forward.

Again, it’s continuing that momentum, I think, that is the most important thing and trying to identify funding that is going to continue to push this project forward. Thank you.