Joe Handley

Mr. Speaker, this has certainly been an issue of interest to my colleagues across the country. All of the Premiers have asked me about devolution and where we are at. Mr. Speaker, this is a process that is trilateral, it involves aboriginal governments, our government and the federal government. The framework agreement I referred to is a first step. Second, we hope to have an agreement-in-principle and we commit to working toward that by this summer, and a final agreement by 2005 with implementation in 2006. That is a pretty ambitious schedule. I hope constituents across the North don’t...

Mr. Speaker, once again it is my pleasure to introduce my good constituent, Major Karen Hoeft, a tireless worker on social issues and especially the issue of homelessness. Thank you.

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Mr. Speaker, I didn’t hear a question so I can’t answer when there is no question. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll refer that question to the Minister responsible for official languages. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, that is something that will most likely get discussed at some point by our partners, the aboriginal governments, and it may be something that we want to do at some point here, but I would certainly have to talk to the partner governments, the aboriginal governments in particular, before we would do it. I wouldn’t want to try and do it unilaterally or people will feel we are stepping out too far ahead. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on January 20th, the Aboriginal Summit and the GNWT signed a framework agreement on the process for negotiating devolution of resource revenue sharing. I hope the federal government will sign it this week and, if that is the case, then that document will outline the process and mandate and may some day result in legislation. But we want to move this ahead step by step. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Environmental Impact Review Board will be doing a full assessment, is my understanding of this project. Certainly, as northerners, we do take the protection of the environment very seriously, so as a government we are not going to try to intervene in a way to try to stop this process. In fact, we will do what we can to provide information that we -- and the bridge corporation are of the same mind -- provide good information that they have already collected to ensure that this is a good environmental review and that we all enter this project with the best...

Mr. Speaker, sometimes it’s very difficult to understand reasons why people would put forward an application for an environmental review. My understanding is that the concern was expressed by the NWT Chamber of Mines because of costs to the mining industry. That then triggered a letter from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, who forwarded it to the land and water board and then we were into the process. Mr. Speaker, I am not going to try to interpret the thinking by the Chamber of Mines, but certainly this has added an uncertainty and a potential increased cost for the bridge, if it’s...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Charles Dent will be leaving the House early today to attend the federal/provincial/territorial Ministers of Labour meeting in Banff. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned before, both ourselves and the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation will do everything we can to provide information we have as quickly as we can to the environmental review board as this project is assessed.

In addition to that, I intend, as Minister responsible for the bridge, to meet with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and see whether or not there is some construction activity -- perhaps we could begin stockpiling material -- that would be allowed before we have the environmental review. I give that as an example. I don’t know whether it would be allowed, but if there is a...