Frame Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. It's not often that we have to deal with motions in budgets in Committee of the Whole. Look, as I said earlier, we don't have the funding for this. This shouldn't come as a surprise to the Minister. I raised this in January with the Minister that, if the funding had not been secured by the time this came to the floor, I would bring it forward, so it doesn't come as a surprise to the Minister. I'm not saying anything against our staff who have probably been working hard, trying to get the federal government to pay some attention to us, but the fact is: we don't have the money...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think that's all I have, but in reply to the Minister, yes, I had to have a second round because I wasn't actually getting any answers in the first round. That's it. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm wondering: if this was deleted, could the funding be brought back through in a supplementary appropriation once the agreement is signed? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just made my point. We are not making a financial contribution for land use planning in the Gwich'in or the Sahtu settlement area. Yes, we are at the table. We help participate. We provide information and so on, but we don't make a financial contribution there because the federal government pays for it, as they should, in terms of the land rights negotiations agreements that were reached for those two settlement areas. Why are we paying for land use planning in the Wek'eezhii management area? This should be a federal responsibility under the Tlicho agreement. Can I get an...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I think we have a difference of opinion about that. There were provisions in the land rights agreements, as well, for the arbitration panels to serve this function, and I think that would have been a far better way to deal with this than set up this separate legislation. We don't have the money secured for this. Why is it appearing in the budget if the money has not been secured, and what would happen if there was no agreement signed with the federal government? We would have to expend our own money? Is that what would happen? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

I thought I was patient, but 22 more years, it better not. Look, I'd understood that the subsurface for Edehzhie needs to be transferred to the federal government so that it can actually formally set up as a national wildlife area. The money can then flow from the federal government. This is on hold while our government continues to twiddle its thumbs about whether we're actually going to transfer the land back to the federal government. It should never have been given to us in the first place under devolution. I don't know why that ever happened. It's my understand you have to transfer the...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. This board has been in place for eight years. It has never had a dispute. Can someone tell me what the cumulative total of the money that has been spent for this board has been over the eight years? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm hoping that I can bargain the other side down to a lot less than two years. As I've said, this has been dragging on for 20 years, and I know some of the people who have been engaged and involved in this over that period of time. It's just incredible. There's been at least two or three plans prepared. They were rejected by our government not once, twice, three times, so we're the problem now. It's our government that's the problem. I'm hearing, though, that the Edehzhie subsurface land transferred to the federal government, that's going to happen in the next six months...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. You got it right. I appreciate that. One of the items in this section is found on page 312, the Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board. I raised this with the Minister back in January about whether the funding had been received from the federal government for this. Can the Minister tell us whether there's an agreement in place for the funding for this board? Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 60)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm just more than a little bit disappointed that whoever is in charge of the property hasn't bothered to consult or talk to the GNWT about what the remediation plans are at this point because it's heading our way. Look, I'm going to be here asking these questions next year, and I suspect, by then, this property is going to be on our books. A fair heads-up to my colleague on the other side, I will be asking these questions again a year from now. Thanks, Mr. Chair. That's all I have. Thank you.