Michael McLeod

Mr. Speaker, the Member knows full well that’s a very difficult area to measure. We will do some analysis, but whether or not we can measure the out-migration and take our best guess — I don’t know if we can go that far. We will do the analysis; that’s what we’re embarking on right now, and we will have ITI do some of that work.

We certainly concur with the Member’s recommendations. We intend to look at all the information provided up to now, and a number of us would agree; we’ve looked at this a number of times now. However, we have to face the reality that there is a cry out there to deal with this issue again. There are a number of companies and organizations that don’t feel it’s time to do this, but we have to review all the information — review and hear what people have to say. We have to share it with the committee and provide all that feedback to our own infrastructure committee to look at and make the final...

Mr. Speaker, I’m sure the aboriginal governments would certainly let us know if they perceived this to be a watering down of their rights. Actually, I will do further exploration on it. There’s no intention to step away from any of the agreements or responsibilities. That information has yet to be compiled.

We’ll continue with business as usual. We monitor the situation now with all the communities in terms of where they are with their emergency planning and support that they require and request. We will continue to do so.

We will continue to provide assistance with community emergency plans. Most communities do them on their own right now. We provide a lot of support through our territorial emergency planning coordinator and will continue to do so.

That responsibility will continue to lie with the community governments. We will provide support through our regional superintendents and our territorial emergency coordinator.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The responsibility for preparing community response plans in emergency situations lies with the community governments, and that will continue.

It’s not very often I get visitors in the gallery, so I’d like to recognize a couple of people from Fort Providence: Loretta Landry, who’s with the Housing Corporation, and Peter Canadien, who works for the hamlet in Fort Providence.

Also, a number of people from Fort Smith. Pam Villeneuve, Marion Napier, Ethel Chalifoux and a former instructor, Paul McAdams, are joining us today. Welcome.

Mr. Speaker, we do have all communities working on an integrated sustainability plan for the long term, and part of that plan is to have the capital plan included, the human resource plan and also a community energy plan. Thirty-two communities have already completed their portion of the capital process and the capital plans. We have eight communities that are working on energy plans.

Now, we have a system where we have resources and will continue to support the communities to look at other sources of fuel. At this point we have not indicated and earmarked any sort of alternate energy or...

Mr. Speaker, the issue of oil, fuel, and the associated costs, and supply is certainly something that we wrestle with on a daily basis. Today I think the price of oil is pegged at over $1.28. All our communities across the North face the challenges of not only the high costs but the additional costs of transportation and having it delivered to our communities. In most cases our communities are responsible for their own supply. There is a market in most of the communities.

We, on the other hand, as a government look after the supply and storage and sale in 15 communities across the North. More...