Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Madam Chair. Just to be crystal clear, you know, Cabinet is going to have an obligation now to respond to these committee reports. There's some clear recommendations in here for legislative change, and I expect that our Cabinet colleagues are going to adopt and endorse some of these recommendations without having to necessarily consult with Indigenous governments. But I look forward to them actually bringing forward the required changes in the lifetime of this Assembly. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Mahsi, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. But it's kind of like watching an old movie again and again and again. I've heard all of this before about why we're paying for land use planning up front and that I'll be here a year from now, Mr. Speaker, as I said, asking the same questions.

It's not clear to me why GNWT is fronting this funding for land use planning this large area that includes a traditional territory, of others including Tlicho First Nations and Metis. Are we doing this to try to expedite mining? I have no idea, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister explain why...

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Lands about the slow progress outlining these planning outside areas covered by land rights agreements. Land use planning has been taking place in the Deh Cho for more than 20 years now. The last raised issue almost a year ago with the Premier in this House.

I'm not looking for excuses anymore but solutions and timelines. Can the Minister tell us the current status of the Deh Cho land use plan and why our government is holding it up. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Monsieur le President. I move, seconded by the Member for Kam Lake, that Minister's statement 16119(2) regarding Emerging Stronger: Planning NWT Social and Economic Recovery be referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I move, seconded by the Member for Nunakput, that Bill 29, Resource Royalty Information Disclosure Statute Amendment Act be read for the first time. Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Look, I think I'm going to be here a year from now asking the same questions. But I'll keep pushing this a little bit further, Mr. Speaker. There's two separate issues here. One is overlapping traditional land use, interest in the Wek'eezhii Management Area. That's one issue. The other issue, though, is one party refuses to start to pay for its portion or all of the portion of the process. Those are two separate disputes, Mr. Speaker. I'm talking about our government starting to initiate dispute resolution on getting the Feds...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I don't want to go back to watching bad movies. But I think I have a solution here for the Minister of Lands. I continue to raise this issue with the federal government not living up to its obligation to fund land use planning under the Tlicho Agreement. If we can't get the federal government to the table to contribute, there is a dispute resolution process laid out in the Tlicho Agreement. Can the Minister tell us why GNWT has not invoked the dispute resolution process to get land use planning finally underway and have the federal government pick up its share of...

Mahsi, Monsieur le President. I have a funny feeling I'm going to be here one year again in the future asking the same questions.

Let's move on to land use planning in the Wek'eezhii management area under the Tlicho Agreement. Can the Minister give us an update on the status of this work and how much GNWT and the federal government have contributed in costs of the process so far. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I believe in land use planning. That's what I studied at university in the early 1980s and what brought me to the Northwest Territories in 1985. If you want to create sustainability and certainly over the future of land and water, meaningful and legally binding land use planning is required. While our government agreed to legally binding land use planning in the Gwichin and Sahtu settlement areas as part of those land rights agreements, progress on other land use planning has been slow, if not glacial.

Deh Cho land use planning has been going on for many than 20...

Merci, Madame le President. The committee wishes that the chair rise and report progress. I would like to move it as a motion. Madam Chair, I'd like to move a motion that the chair rise and report progress. Thank you.