Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister responsible for mining. My statement described a recently released study that reviewed the NWT sector and compared it against international standards. The GNWT Commission Study says that we mostly failed or there is room for significant improvements. Can the Minister tell us when this study was completed and why it was released well after any of the public engagement meetings on the Mineral Resources Act? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I guess the information I had was that it was actually in a deficit position of around $9 million. Perhaps, can Mr. Stewart confirm those figures? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. On October 11, ITI released a study. I consulted Andrew Bauer with the Natural Resource Governance Institute. Mr. Bauer conducted a review of the NWT mineral sector under a contract from GNWT and how we should best manage mining in the interest of good governance.

The study was based on a review publicly available and internal GNWT documents and interviews with some NWT and Aboriginal government representatives and the mining industry. Noticeably absent were non-governmental organizations. Sixteen areas of governance and regulation were evaluated against...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I guess more of a comment on this and then I have another set of questions. I think there needs to be some effort, then, to communicate to the public why this is not going ahead and that there is not going to be any serious work done on the Frank Channel Bridge for some time perhaps, until new federal funding is secured. In any event, I want to move on to a different line of questioning, if I can. Can anybody tell me what the position is of the supplementary reserve? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So do we have any idea how long this is going to be put off, or do we have any assurance from the federal government that they are prepared to fund a new bridge? How would a new bridge sort of ballpark figure compared to the $8 million it would cost to fix or at least maintain the Frank Channel Bridge? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. What kind of pre-budget consultation was actually held, or did people just sort of walk into the Minister's office? How does this work? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of the Chief Electoral Officer's Report on the Administration of the 2015 Territorial General Election, Supplementary Recommendations, and the White Paper on the Independence and Accountability of Election Administration in the Northwest Territories.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the Northwest Territories issued three reports, tabled by the Speaker on May 31, 2016, February 28, 2017, and June 1, 2017. These reports contain 107 recommendations for changes related...

I appreciate the answer from the Minister. It is clear he did his homework and I gave him a heads up, so I appreciate the detailed response. As part of our mandate, we agreed to "develop an integrated comprehensive approach to the management of contaminated sites including prioritizing, sharing of responsibility in collaboration with other governments, monitoring, and a sound financial security system to prevent public liabilities."

This item was not changed during the recent revisions. What lessons have we learned from the Mactung and Cantung messes and how will this government apply them to...

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Lands, who has some responsibility for mining financial security. There are some positions shown on the organizational charts for the Securities and Project Assessment Division of the Department of Lands. Can the Minister give us a brief overview of the work under way within this division to develop a new closure and reclamation regime for mining in the Northwest Territories, including financial securities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President.

The three reports from Elections NWT and reviewed by the committee contain more recommendations to the Legislative Assembly than from any CEO in the history of the Northwest Territories. However this fact is not an indicator that our election administration is in crisis, or even in need of substantial overhaul. Elections in the NWT are very well-organized, reliable, and firmly based on competent legislation. The committee is confident that the recommendations in this report will help ensure continuity in that regard, provide additional flexibility to adapt to new...