Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Okay. I am happy to get that information. I'm just a little bit surprised that nobody at the table seems to know this sort of information because it's a big area of work within the department, but I'm happy to get it as quickly as they can put it together. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I will try to keep my comments on some of the higher levels and some of the issues that maybe some of my colleagues have not covered so far.

Earlier today in the House, there was a lot of discussion around climate change and carbon pricing. This department plays a really crucial role in moving forward on those issues, and I believe they actually have the expertise inhouse to do some work on this. I want to make sure that that stays within the department, but I just don't sense that there is any urgency on these issues with our government. I expect that ENR is going to play a...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister tell me when we might be able to expect to get that information? I am just very conscious of the amount of time we have left to sort out the departmental budgets and so on. When can I expect to get this information from the department? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

I thank the Minister for that response and look forward to seeing some of the correspondence that he might have with the Government of Nunavut. Can the Minister explain why our government continues to pursue funding for an all-weather road into the Slave Geological Province before the Bathurst Caribou Range Plan is completed and implemented? It's sort of like putting the cart before the horse.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the response from the Minister, but I just do not think that these are wise reductions at a time when the department has a lot to deliver on in terms of its mandate, the mandate commitments that have been made, the announcements that the Minister has made. I just think that legislation and policy work, programs and services are going to continue to be delayed and not to the standard that our public deserves, so I continue to disagree with these cuts. I don't think I have anything further to say other than these are very serious concerns for me. I think they are...

Merci, Monsieur le President. It seems to be environment and climate change day in the House, and I love it.

---Laughter

My question is for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. The recently released Bathurst Range Plan discussion paper recommends winter-only access in calving and post-calving and summer ranges of the Bathurst caribou herd. Does the Minister accept this recommended next step and that there are trade-offs to be made between caribou protection and mineral development? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I am mindful of my colleague across the way. Page 83 in the program details, there is sort of this nibbling away here of money in terms of biodiversity conservation, field operations, wildlife research and management. What is happening here? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Of course, I've never seen one of these information items, what it might look like. Is the Minister saying then that they might find the resources internally then to fill another position or two? Or how would the new money be found if the department does this functional review and they want to have more capacity? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. On January 31st of this year, I submitted a written question on the costs of the November 2016 Cabinet trip to Ottawa. As part of that question, I asked for costs of lobbyist support, including contracted services. The Minister responded by stating, "No lobbyists or consultants were engaged in the planning or coordination of this trip."

The third quarter report on GNWT solesource contracting shows that, between April 1st and December 31, 2016, we retained Earnscliffe Strategy...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So it sounds like this is part of the fiscal reduction targets set for the department. Can we just have a little bit more information about what these individuals do? Do they support community governments? It says "community planning," so I know maybe this isn't the right place, but are these people within MACA who, say, review land use planning bylaw changes, zoning changes that have to go to MACA for approval? Some more detail on what the functions are of the positions that are being cut would be helpful. Thanks, Mr. Chair.