Louis Sebert

Certainly we will keep the Members opposite updated.

There are no NTCL sites that fall into this category 10. Not all of the NTCL leases fall under the category of operating sites, and as such may be subject to provisions of the devolution agreement that allow us to assert to Canada that they have responsibilities for remediation of the sites. This assertion does not necessarily result in Canada's acceptance of a liability for the site, and there is a process laid out in the devolution agreement through which the GNWT would have to develop and provide evidence to support the assertion.

Mr. Speaker, department officials review such requests and based on the merits and rationale the request can be forwarded to the Executive Council for review. Executive Council determines whether an exception to the land lease only policy is granted. Requests for a fee simple title are reviewed through the department's broader policy framework. In the future, our review will also be informed by the soon to be completed Recreational Land Management Framework and its policies and guidelines.

The Commissioner's land application process applies on all Commissioner's land regardless of whether it's an area of settled or unsettled land claims. Thank you.

I thank the Member opposite for the kind invitation to me, both as Minister of Lands and Minister Responsible for the Power Corporation; however, prior to contemplating such a visit I'd like to examine the issue so that I'd be fully apprised of all the issues should I decide to go to Norman Wells. Thank you.

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No.

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Mr. Speaker, there seems to be a differing opinion on this side of the House, but I don't think I can commit to any specific date, as I'm not certain when I will actually receive it, but it will be shared with Members opposite. Thank you.

As I mentioned in prior questions, I think during our last session, there is a study of the program that is being conducted at this very time. I am expecting the results of that study within the next few weeks, I think by the end of November. At that point, we will decide which course we will take.

It is not GNWT policy to offer fee simple title in unsettled areas of the Northwest Territories. In certain circumstances, exceptions are possible, but it is important that we do not create a patchwork of exceptions and one-offs in our approach.

In the case of Cassidy Point, an exception was made to honour a long-standing commitment to leaseholders over two decades ago. Going forward, we want to rely on a systemic approach. Decisions will be based on broader policy goals of sustainable land management for the benefit of all Northerners, now a commitment to finalization of land claim agreements...

Mr. Speaker, I'm not able to table the 1992 letter to the Cassidy Point leaseholders. It's correspondence between a government official and private individuals about lease arrangements and contains information that is not appropriate for the public domain. However, I would be happy to share with the Member the exact wording made to the leaseholders at Cassidy Point. I'm quoting now: "The intention of Municipal and Community Affairs, MACA, is to grant title to the existing leaseholders on Cassidy Point by September 1993.

In order to accomplish this, a legal survey will be required to define the...

Mr. Speaker, each request for fee simple is unique and reviewed individually. In the case of Cassidy Point which was referenced earlier, we made an exception to honour a long-standing commitment to lease holders. As I mentioned, our review of exceptional situations will also be informed by the soon to be completed Recreational Land Management Framework.

One of the difficulties with dealing with matters on a case-by-case basis is that you can conceivably set precedence. There's a saying that hard cases make bad law, and I think what we want to do is make the process simple, transparent in the...