Merci, Monsieur le President. It certainly came as a surprise when the merger of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Lands was announced on May 17, 2022. I thought this sort of change might cause our Cabinet colleagues to engage this side of the House before final decisions on government reorganization might be made.

To be clear, I never really understood why there was a Department of Lands created at devolution as some sort of a buffer or arbiter between the prodevelopment Industry, Tourism and Investment and the prosustainability Environment and Natural...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I too would like to thank the committee for its work. I was able to sit in on most of the presentations from experts on UNDRIP and its implementation. However, I was not able to hear directly from Indigenous governments on any of their concerns around negotiations or implementation. I was interested and would have benefitted, I think, from participating or observing those meetings but was not allowed.

I haven't had a chance to read it cover to cover, but I certainly scanned the report. And I think it's a good summary of the UNDRIP presentations and some of the issues...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I'm glad to see that we are making it consistent in terms of who will get to celebrate this holiday, not just members of the public service, but people that work in the private sector as well.

But I know that there were some concerns or issues raised when this was being discussed around what sort of supports or activities and so on were our government helping put together to facilitate reconciliation and, particularly, for this day. So if I could ask the Minister what efforts our government is doing to ensure that the day is meaningful for our residents in the Northwest...

In favour.

Merci, Monsieur le President.

I MOVE

WHEREAS Rule 9.2(3) requires that Members be appointed to Standing and Special Committees;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the following Member be removed as an alternate to the Standing Committee on Social Development:

Mr. Jackie Jacobson, the Member for Nunakput;.

AND FURTHER, that the following Member be appointed as an alternate to the Standing Committee on Social Development:

Mr. Rocky Simpson, the Member for Hay River South;

AND FURTHERMORE, that the following Member be appointed to the Standing Committees on...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Premier for that. Maybe I'm out of order here, but I'm trying to get a commitment out of the Minister to sorry, my questions are out of order. I'm just trying to get a commitment out of the Minister to actually share the background report, tell us who was consulted in this decision. And I didn't get answers to those but I'll try something else now.

So I've raised many times the inherent conflict of interest with one department acting as a promotor of resource development and then regulating rights administration and royalties at the same time...

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question's for the Premier as the head of the government.

I said I was caught by surprise by the recent announcement of the merger of Environment and Natural Resources with Lands without an opportunity for input from this side of the House or the public.

Can the Premier explain this decision and tell us what background information or studies were done for this merger and share that with us and the public? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Madame la Presidente. I move that the chair rise and report progress. Mahsi.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that, but I shouldn't actually have to go on the Open NWT contract website to actually get that kind of information. Hoping that he can start sharing that a little more proactively with this side of the House.

I've also raised the issue of the refusal of the Government of Alberta to allow GNWT to have a seat on a couple of technical committees on downstream water quality. The Minister said he was going to get in touch with the federal government to try to secure these seats, but there hasn't been any updates.

Can the Minister tell...

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources about the development of regulations for discharges from the Alberta tar sands tailings.

Can the Minister tell us why no information on these discharge regulations has been shared with this side of the House, or the public, since I last raised this issue a couple of months ago? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.