Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, the final Greenhouse Gas Strategy would be a product of this government, this Assembly. The Member sits on the Climate Change Committee that has had a hand in this to a good degree. We have to make sure that the products that comes out of this Legislature that are put forward into this House reflect the consensus that we can reach on going forward on a territorial-wide Greenhouse Gas Strategy. Thank you.

As I’ve indicated in the House, we’ve undergone an extensive period of consultation across the North and all the communities with many groups and individuals. As I indicated to the Member, the intention is that if all goes according to plan, that we will give notice of motion on March 7th for a first reading of the Wildlife Act. We’ll take the process time and then we’ll go for first and second reading on the 9th and 10th, I believe. Thank you.

No, Mr. Chairman, but just to reiterate for the Member that this is only part of the $225,000. Under grants and contributions there’s other money listed under compensation and benefits and other areas. The intent, as the deputy indicated, is to move forward with our commitment to traditional knowledge. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am not aware of any specific charges that were laid on the Northwest Territories side. I know that if there were issues they tended to be on the Yukon side of the border. For us, basically, it is a good news story that there was in fact, that the numbers weren’t as bad as predicted, the numbers that the Northwest Territories subscribed to, in terms of estimates, were considerably higher than those that were contemplated and put forward by the Yukon government. Our numbers were much more consistent with the Porcupine Caribou Management Board, but there are no plans at...

Mr. Chairman, we have $153,000 dedicated to our part of the work of the land use framework. The deputy sits on the working group. Many of the elements of the Water Strategy and the principles are being reflected and are reflected in the land use framework. It is an initiative that is, we think, very close to conclusion, but I will ask the deputy if he will speak a bit to some of the detail. Thank you.

We will make every effort to have it done as soon as possible within March, but in March it will be done.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the deputy indicated, as we conclude the reviews the intent is to take it through the process to committee and when there is agreed to recommendations, then we’ll look at the policies being adjusted to reflect whatever changes are finally agreed to. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, we are, as a department, spending, I believe, about $225,000 specifically on traditional knowledge. We have a Traditional Knowledge Policy as a government. We have a government-wide implementation plan. We are looking at best practices. In addition, there is traditional knowledge built into all the work that we are doing. When you look at all the money we are spending on Water Strategy, when you look at the work we are doing on caribou, when you look at the work that has been done on the development of the Wildlife Act in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, it is...

The Gwich’in Tribal Council and ENR jointly put on a conference last week. The focus was the Mackenzie and the Peel. The work is proceeding on the bilateral that we have with the Yukon. We’ve been in contact with the Yukon Minister to indicate we think it’s time to review that. It was the first one done. It was done under the aegis of the initial signing of the transboundary agreement where they’re not legally binding, they’re just instruments of good will. We now know that we’ve come to the point where we all need legally binding agreements. So we’re going to have to be revisiting that over...

Thank you. That’s the challenge for all of us as we look at protecting the environment, the land, the water and the animals and balancing that with the resource development and economic development. When you talk about making land available for resource development, there is a number of different levels to that. There is land that’s taken up by communities. There’s land taken up for resource development. There are lands taken up for other reasons. So we’re going to make sure that we strive for that balance, and in some of the regions like the Deh Cho, there are figures being used in terms of...