Robert C. McLeod

We were very disappointed in the six sports that were excluded from the 2016 Arctic Winter Games, and we tried very hard to get an alternative event planned. Unfortunately, one of the jurisdictions backed out and we were unable to pull that together. We have given the excluded sports an option to find an opportunity to find a development opportunity, a tournament that they can go to as they would if they were competing in the Arctic Winter Games. We have a very strong, healthy support system for all of our athletes. We have the $650,000 that we use for multi-sport events, and we continue...

We recognize the value of having our NWT residents participate in a lot of these processes, and I will commit to the Member that I will continue to raise the issue with our federal counterpart. We are fairly new in devolution. The responsibilities we're taking over are fairly new. I will take up the cause and continue to raise that issue with Ottawa so people in the Northwest Territories are able to be funded to participate in some of the hearings.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on the national scale participant funding is part of the overall federal environmental assessment regime in Canada, which also applies to the Inuvialuit Settlement region. The absence of participant funding in the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act is a long-standing issue. The GNWT takes the view that the Government of Canada is responsible for participant funding based on the fact that the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act remains federal legislation and Canada has retained key authorities, such as policy direction and appointment to boards...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 4, Interim Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), 2016-2017 be read for the second time. This bill authorizes the Government of Northwest Territories to make interim appropriations for operation expenditures for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.

We would ask for updates from the proponents, and we have our own people monitoring these, and if we feel that there's a need for additional information we will seek that, but I can assure all Members that for the projects we enter into, we will have oversight, because these are public dollars that we are speaking about.

There should be no impact, but I will follow up with their proponent and confirm that.

I am committed not only to the development of our athletes across the Northwest Territories, which I think has been clearly demonstrated in my time as the Minister responsible for sport in the Northwest Territories, and I remain committed to that. I would like to see not only to the athletes, but to the health and wellbeing and the physical activity of all our children across the Northwest Territories, all of our athletes across the Northwest Territories, and I will continue to do what I can on my part to see that level of commitment carried on. Again, as I said before, no decisions have been...

We were quite disappointed that the 2023 Canada Winter Games were not bid on by the capital city. I think it would have been a fantastic opportunity for not only the athletes in the Northwest Territories, but all the people involved in sport across the Northwest Territories, so we were quite disappointed. The $25 million that the Member spoke of, that was a commitment that was made to help facilitate the games and provide an athletes' village, and then be used for some much-needed housing afterwards. We have a very strong, robust support system for our athletes and our youth across the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will take the Member up on his offer to work with myself on advancing some of these issues, again recognizing the fact that we're early in devolution and we're trying to work our way through the process and make sure we have a very strong regulatory system in the Northwest Territories. If that means funding some of the participants to make their cases to the respective boards, then it's something that we will continue to work on. Again, I will take the Member up on his offer.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, to my left I have Mr. Mike Aumond, who is the secretary to the Financial Management Board and deputy minister of finance. To my right, I have Mr. Sandy Kalgutkar who is the deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board.