Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. Earlier today, the Minister of the Executive and Indigenous Affairs made a statement about the tabling of a couple of new offers with regard to negotiations for the Northwest Territory Metis Nation and the Akaitcho Dene First Nation, and there has apparently been some sort of a letter sent to the Dehcho First Nations. Can the Minister describe for us what kind of involvement there was on the part of the Regular MLAs in the development of these positions and letters or offers? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Again, I thank the Minister for his strong words there, and I'm happy to work with him on that. We've just got to make sure that, as the federal government moves forward with the federal treasury board's submissions, the replacement money is part of that.

During the meeting last week there was a lot of concern and frustration over the lack of a coordinated response to off-site arsenic contamination throughout Yellowknife and the surrounding environment. Recent media reports seem to show that our health staff do not seem to get information from Environment and Natural Resources. Can the Minister...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I spoke earlier today about Giant Mine Oversight Board's recent report and public meeting. I'd like to follow up with the Minister of Environment on some of those issues. For many years, Yellowknives Dene First Nation elders and others in this community have called for an apology and compensation for the impacts of the Giant Mine. The board has taken this up in recommending a federal response to the calls for an apology and compensation. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to know from the Minister what is the position of our government on the issue of an apology and...

Merci, Mr. Speaker. Just to make it crystal clear, we were not informed of the offer. We have not seen it. We have not seen the offers to the Metis Nation or to the Dehcho First Nations, so I am just wondering: can the Minister commit to provide this information, these letters, to Regular MLAs on a confidential basis so we can actually find out what our government is negotiating? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Is it fair to say, then, that the Regular MLAs were not informed? We haven't seen these offers, the letter. We weren't informed or involved in the preparation of them before they were delivered to the appropriate Aboriginal governments earlier this week.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Again, I'd like to thank the Minister for recognizing that there was an issue and that there are some steps being taken to better coordinate a response. During the public meeting last week, though, people were glad to see that there is going to be a human health monitoring program for the Giant Mine remediation project, but people also want to make sure that there's going to be a look at health impacts, so I want to ask the Minister: as the lead department on the Giant Mine remediation, can the Minister tell us about what our government involvement is in the human health...

I appreciate the response from the Minister, and am happy to help in any way I can, but we have got to move this forward very quickly so we have a permanent location in time for the aurora season. In the last sitting, my colleague from Hay River mentioned poor highway signage for the new hospital in Hay River, and the Minister had signs up the next day. What a great response, but there are virtually no signs on the highways into Yellowknife to help tourists find a visitors centre. Can the Minister of Tourism talk to the Minister of Infrastructure and commit to putting up signs here in...

Merci, Monsieur le President. My statement earlier today focused on the need to begin planning and budgeting for a new permanent home for the new Northern Frontier Visitors Centre. Does the Minister of tourism agree that it is inequitable and obviously unsustainable to expect the Northern Frontier Visitors Association to foot the cost of a Yellowknife visitor centre when centres in Inuvik, Dawson, and at the border are fully funded by GNWT? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. There has been a lot of shock and uncertainty over the closure of the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre here in Yellowknife. I firmly believe this could have been avoided through adequate and equitable support from our government. We have been without a visitors centre for 10 days now. A temporary home has been found, until summer’s end, at the museum. Now we need to concentrate on a longer-term location to support the large, growing, and sustainable tourism sector in Yellowknife.

Aurora tourism has soared from a $6-million industry in 2010 to $40 million in 2015...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I do appreciate the response from the Minister, and I will be watching the highway very closely to look for those signs.

Over a week ago, the City of Yellowknife committed to an additional $17,000 in funding to support the transition of the visitor centre to a temporary location. In a news release dated yesterday, the Minister committed to "cover costs associated with the association's move to the new location and the interim storage of its assets." That is great; I appreciate that. Can the Minister confirm that these costs will indeed be covered from funding...