Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Gaining northern control over the resource management decision-making process is one of the main reasons the Government of the Northwest Territories is pursuing devolution.

Until Northerners have this control, we are not in the position to determine the pace of development in our Territory.

The residents of the Northwest Territories, especially aboriginal people, have a special relationship with the land and water. We all have a strong interest in making sure our land and water is protected and our resources are developed in a wise and sustainable manner.

A devolution...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 13, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures) 2011-2012, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Waste Reduction and Recovery Program, 2009-2010 Annual Report. Thank you.

I will talk with the officials in the department, starting with the deputy minister, to see if we can follow up on that request.

I’ve had a relatively recent communication with the Minister from the Yukon and I’ve indicated to him in that conversation that we have, and have had, concerns about the Peel River watershed. There’s lots of activity there. We also have concerns about the efficacy and efficiency of our transboundary agreement that was one of the only ones that has been signed under the existing Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Agreement and that we are drafting a communication to open discussions on that whole issue.

The one area is going to be the possible access to bison tags. There is no harvest anywhere in the Northwest Territories at present for any harvesting except the aboriginal harvest. So there is no capacity to open up access to caribou tags anywhere at this point, given the pressures the herds are under. We’re looking at other types of animals besides bison. There is moose, of course, and depending where you live up north, there’s other things like muskox, as well, that could be considered.

The Member is correct.

The intent is to set up a broad, multi-stakeholder management plan for the caribou in the North Slave region that will include, of course, the aboriginal governments and the territorial government -- the Tlicho, Akaitcho, the Northwest Territories Metis Nation -- and it’s going to be a complex undertaking, given the fact that we have to look at the Ahiak, the Beverly, the Bathurst, the Bluenose-East, and significant overlap areas as well into Nunavut and some with the Beverly down into Saskatchewan. The challenge over the next two years is to get a process in place that will allow us to bring...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have Margaret Melhorn, deputy minister of Finance; and Ms. Lana Birch-Rideout, legislative counsel from Justice.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, November 1, 2010, I will move that Bill 13, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures) 2011-2012, be read for the first time.