Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to follow up with the Minister on the Highway No. 4 reconstruction, and I appreciate his commitment on behalf of the department to do the work on the stretch of highway near Niven Lake. Half of that's in my riding as well. So just to be clear, that work is scheduled then for 2017-2018 out of the capital budget? Is that where the funding's coming from? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I'll keep this very short; I know we've had a long day here and probably go for a bit longer, but I did want to acknowledge and thank the committee members who worked on this report. We've done a lot of work together. I think we've had more meetings than any of the other standing committees. It's a huge relief to me personally to have this off my desk and a lot of personal satisfaction. So I want to recognize the work of the committee members: the honourable Member for Thebacha, the Member for Yellowknife Centre, the Member for Nahendeh and the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh that Committee Report 5-18(2) be received and adopted by this Assembly. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. It is my pleasure to present Committee Report 5-18(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Interim Report on the Review of Standing Committee Public Engagement and Transparency.

By Motion 10-18(2), the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures was tasked on February 25, 2016 with recommending a process for standing committee public engagement and transparency. This motion reads: whereas the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning has expressed its support for greater public participation in the democratic process, thereby increasing opportunities for...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I know that at least one of the diamond mines has been using some other dust suppressants. Just wondering whether there's been any conversations between the department and the diamond mines in terms of the effectiveness of these other dust suppressants? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. That's great news because I know there's been a lot of public concerns expressed about that particular stretch of the highway and given that the hotel is operating and there's a lot of tourists that are going to cross the highway to get into the visitors centre as well. That's great news, but I'm just wondering does the Minister see the -- look I don’t want to slow this work down and I don’t think the department does either, but is there an opportunity to at least present the design to folks like the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre, the folks that have the hotel, some of...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I'm still getting some mixed messages, I think, from the other side of the House in terms of which departments are working on this and so on. In the absence of a recovery plan and continued low numbers of caribou our government continues to push ahead with development that will have a significant adverse effect on the Bathurst caribou herd. At what point would Cabinet decide it is not in the best interest of caribou to pursue this road? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

But the fact is there's no recovery strategy or plan for the Bathurst caribou herd. Not one square metre of critical habitat has been protected, and there are no caribou protection measures in place for land users. Will the Premier tell this House why Cabinet is pushing ahead with a plan for a road into the Slave Geological Province in range of the Bathurst caribou herd in the absence of a recovery strategy or plan for that herd, and at a time when the herd is in a desperate situation?

Merci, monsieur le President. I made statements on the perilous state of the Bathurst caribou herd in February and June in this House. Last week, the Minister of Transportation announced progress on plans for an access road into the Slave Geological Province, including a road "that will provide the greatest economic benefit to the region and the Northwest Territories." While some may be happy, this is not good news for caribou.

When asked about how environmental concerns would be dealt with, the response was that those issues would be dealt with through an environmental assessment. Caribou are...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So just to be really clear and on the record then, we're not postponing any of this replacement to save a few dollars now that are going to come back and haunt us in the future? Thanks, Mr. Chair.