Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur Ie President. I would like to table the following document entitled "The Collapse of P3 Giant Carillion and Its Implications" by John Loxley, professor at the University of Manitoba. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President, and I would like to thank the Premier for providing that clarity on that particular issue, but, given that the Premier has issued a challenge for debate on the future of the Northwest Territories on the floor of the House of Commons in Ottawa, it is surprising that there has been no similar call here at home. Is the Premier ready and willing to have an emergency debate on the so-called Red alert and future of the Northwest Territories here on the floor of this House? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the Premier for his valiant defence of the red alert. He did not really answer the question about prior consultation, and I will table the news releases from the Indigenous governments in the House tomorrow. In the past, Cabinets retained lobbyists in Ottawa to provide advice on federal engagement. Cabinet currently has a $120,000 sole-sourced contract with communications firm and federal lobbyist Global Public Affairs. Can the Premier tell this House where the idea came from to issue the red alert and what role the lobbyist firm has played in the campaign to date?

Merci, Monsieur Ie President. Without consulting Regular MLAs, the Premier went to Ottawa in October to launch his so-called red alert to complain about federal colonialism and interference in resource extraction. Many constituents and others contacted me expressing concern and disagreement with the Premier's negative and divisive statements. Almost every regional Indigenous government responded with their own concerns about lack of consultation on the red alert.

If there is to be a debate about the future of the NWT, and I believe there should be, it needs to start here in the Northwest...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I've been at a lot of meetings about Giant Mine over the last 30 years, and certainly whenever I've been at meetings where there have been elders from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, they've raised this issue of an apology and compensation. They've been waiting a long time for that to happen, and unfortunately some of them are no longer with us.

How do you explain to somebody who used to be able to go to the lake and take water out of it that they actually now have to pay to get safe water delivered to their house? So why is this motion before us today? I think the Giant...

Thanks to the Minister for that update. It was very helpful. Protection of NWT caribou herds is a complex matter as there are a number of communities that have traditionally harvested herds, most migrate between the NWT and Nunavut, there are different management regimes on each side of the boundary, and very little habitat has any permanent protection. That raises the issue of whether our government has any policy or position on resource development within calving grounds. Can the Minister say whether our government has a position or policy on resource development within caribou calving...

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Later today, we will be debating a motion about development in the calving grounds of one of our migratory caribou herds. The Bathurst caribou herd has plummeted from a high of 472,000 animals to 16,000. Indigenous governments have voluntarily halted harvesting, yet nothing has been done in terms of habitat protection. Can the Minister give us an update on the status of the Bathurst herd and whether there are any signs of recovery? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Midwifery: where to begin? We go back to the last Assembly in 2012, when public advocacy prompted the government to commission a Midwifery Review and Expansion Analysis Report. That report recommended options for expansion of midwifery service, including creating a territorial model based out of Yellowknife in 2015-2016, so that the full rollout could be done in 2016-2017. Mr. Speaker, that was last year.

The Minister stated in July 2015 that he was still committed to introducing midwifery services, but then there was no money; so a further study and further public...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, this is an issue that I have raised in the two public accounts reviews that I have participated in. There is a big difference between bad debt as listed in here and student loan remissions, and my reading of the Financial Administration Act, and I am not a lawyer, when I read it, there is no requirement for disclosure of individual names to be listed in this part of the public accounts, and I think it is an invasion of these individuals' privacy. We want to encourage our students to come back here and work here and live here, and one way we do this is through these...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I would like to strongly support this motion. I want to recognize the people who have done a lot of work on this. I am not going to name them all, but certainly the human faces. This has been a lifetime struggle for many of them, people like Norma Kassi, Joe Tetlichi, Charlie Snowshoe, the late chief Johnny Charlie. This has been a lifetime struggle trying to protect the caribou herd. I want to recognize their efforts and leadership on this issue. I know that our government is going to get behind this as well and provide support and assistance. I am sure it is going to...