Michael Miltenberger

We are going to work closely recognizing the impacts are going to be felt in the Sahtu and the need to be coordinated within the government, be able to make sure that we are looking at things like the Mackenzie for River Basin Trans-Boundary Water Agreement and the bilateral that currently exists between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories as well as what role MVEIRB may play as we try to raise the issues to protect our interests in this proposed project.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Work is currently underway with other departments to assess how best to move forward about the concerns that have been raised with this proposed development on the Yukon side of the border as it may affect the Northwest Territories with wildlife, water and the environment. So the work is underway. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, as well, would like to say a few brief words about the motion which I will, as well, be supporting. We are here in this Legislature today for political closure, as it were. Because the complaint was dismissed, there is no legal obligation for us to have any say any further. The case was decided when Mr. Hughes dismissed the complaint, but it was thought that it would help us move forward for the remaining 689 days that we have left before us.

My political perspective on this whole thing starts right back when this Assembly was elected. We came here and we picked...

We will be working in a collaborative fashion, as we do in many circumstances like with the caribou and other related issues to water, to make sure that we coordinate our efforts, that while we put forward the GNWT position, it is in conjunction with the collaboration with the people of the Sahtu and the aboriginal governments so that we have as coordinated a response as possible. Thank you.

We are working for the deadline that has been laid out in November. We will be trying to comply and get our comments in by that time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has not officially responded to the McCrank report yet. We are using, and are continuing to use, every opportunity to press the case more and more for the need for regulatory reform. We are doing a lot of other things to get ready to take over, devolve authorities to us, our planning on water, the planning on our land use framework. Let’s get the regulatory reform done. We tell the federal government that regulatory reform as we are putting it out can be done now. It will move us very clearly down the path towards a more efficient system, provide certainty...

Margaret Melhorn, deputy minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has followed up in writing on the McCrank report. A number of weeks ago we were in Ottawa. We met with Minister Strahl to talk about the issue of regulatory reform. We talked about the board appointments, a clear definition of mandates, clearing up policy overlap. Where there are grey areas, we avoid things like the Giant Mine. We met again in Calgary a week or so ago. We raised the same issue very well and passionately by myself, by Minister McLeod, by other northern folks that were there. It is a political issue. The federal government...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Bill 2, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2009-2010, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes forgiveness of debts owed to the government and public agencies. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don’t often get this opportunity, but I would like to acknowledge two of the Pages that are serving in the House today, two fine upstanding young men from Fort Smith: Mr. Kyle Payne and Mr. Randall Maidl. I thank them for their work that they have done and they have been good ambassadors for the community of Fort Smith. Thank you.