Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks to the Minister for confirming that this is another one of those unenforceable agreements. I tabled a University of Victoria study in the fall that pointed out how our socio-economic agreements are rather poor, and lots of ways to improve that. I would like the Minister to explain how that review, or any other work that is going on within the department, of our weak socio-economic agreements played into what was negotiated with Fortune Minerals for the NICO Project.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I have not had much good to say about the socio-economic agreements signed by this government. Another one, for the NICO Project, was signed on January 29, 2019, at a mining conference in Vancouver.

I will be the first to admit that this most recent agreement is better than the previous ones, but there is still a long way to go to generate and retain real benefits for Northwest Territories residents. Improvements in this most recent agreement include:

Employment and purchasing targets are set for the closure phase;

A staffed office in the Northwest Territories is to...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier.

Cabinet and GNWT staff travelled to Vancouver during the week of January 28 to 31, 2019, to attend the Association for Mineral Exploration Roundup. Can the Premier provide a list of all NWT Ministers and staff who travelled to Vancouver for the meetings, and:

Total cost of travel, including transportation (showing air travel by executive versus economy class), accommodations, expenses, and associated allowances;

Any related contract costs for the trip, particularly costs of conference registration, exhibitor staffing, any fees for consulting...

I would like to thank the Minister for that. Can the Minister tell us whether there are essential services agreements in place for the three bargaining units that I mentioned earlier?

Merci, Monsieur le President. I am very mindful of the words that you offered at the beginning of this sitting about being careful how we are choosing our questions, and I do believe in collective bargaining, but there has been an event this afternoon that I need to ask some questions of the other side about. There was a news release put out earlier this afternoon about a strike notice being issued by the Union of Northern Workers, and I would like to ask which bargaining units have provided strike notice to our government. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I meant to ask that question...

The Minister didn't answer my question, but of course, he is not obligated to do that.

The Tlicho government issued its own news release on the signing of this agreement, the NICO Agreement, and they said that they believe it is a breach of the Tlicho Agreement and entirely inconsistent with this government's policy on engagement with Indigenous governments. Can the Minister confirm that there was no real consultation with the Tlicho government before the signing of this agreement and explain why?

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. I have looked at the NICO Socio-Economic Agreement, but there are no sanctions or penalties for non-compliance or failure to reach targets. It is basically an unenforceable best efforts arrangement. For example, with employment and training targets, why not make a payment into a training or education fund or program if the targets aren't reached? Can the Minister explain why our government continues to sign best efforts agreements without any teeth, without any sanctions or penalties? Mahsi, Mr...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I am interested in hearing more about this compromise, but the way this has been written, you know, this bill is coming forward a year later than it should have under the mandate commitment. I think there are people out there expecting that they are going to be able to access the services that may be provided under this act.

Having this kind of restriction on the mandate of the Ombud is not helpful at all in terms of resolution of complaints that may come forward from our constituents. I have expressed this concern to the Minister. We are not even sure what the word...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I would like to understand from the Minister what the intent of 17(3) is. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. As I said earlier, I have tried to choose my words very carefully. I take the issue of removal of a Cabinet Minister very seriously.

While I personally like the Minister and often agree with him, this motion is about leadership and priorities. I have no doubt that this Minister works very, very hard in managing one of the largest and most important departments. The Minister has led some very important initiatives, and I give him full credit for the accomplishments that he will no doubt raise. I also find the Minister to be very receptive and responsive to the...