Robert C. McLeod

The GNWT has committed considerable resources to the management of barren-ground caribou, and as the Member heard in our presentations to the communities that we visited, there are a number of other initiatives that we are working on. I have directed the department to put the plan together to come up with identifying the resources, the amount of resources, that we might need to implement some of these. One of them I think was expanding the Boots on the Ground program. I think there was the predator initiative that we are working on. So I have directed the Department of ENR to identify the...

The Bathurst joint management proposal includes a clear recommendation that the collaboratively developed Bathurst Caribou Range Plan be finalized and implemented, and work to develop the plan was initiated by ENR in 2013. The Bathurst Caribou Range Plan includes the measures you have mentioned, including the mobile conservation measures, offsetting and participation in environmental assessment, and land use planning throughout the herd's range in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

My plan is to appeal to people's good judgement and treat both sides with respect, and I think that will go a long way. We talk about respect in the Northwest Territories all the time, and I think that this is one of those situations where we show due respect on both sides of the table, and we would hope that that would bring the temperature down. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The goal of the communique was to provide employees with information in response to a number of inquiries we had as to what some of their options might be. We thought we would provide them with the best information possible, including that. I have the ability to read, and what I read was that it encourages people to talk to their union representative.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a constituent of Inuvik Twin Lakes, Ms. Donna Rogers. Welcome to the Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Main Estimates, 2019-2020"; and "Bearnet Communications to the Employees, February 5, 2019." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What I am doing is I am leaving it to those whom we have tasked to negotiate on our behalf and those who are tasked to negotiate on the union's behalf, with the understanding that I would like to see them come to a resolution through mediation this weekend, and, failing that, then we will take the next steps then.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I responded to the Member for Yellowknife Centre before, we are going into mediation this weekend, and we are going there with an attitude that we would like to see an agreement reached that benefits both the UNW, GNWT, and the people who we have been elected to serve from across the Northwest Territories. So I am not going to commit to anything until we get past this process of mediation, and I would like to see an agreement reached through that process.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to oral question asked by the Member for Kam Lake on October 31, 2018, regarding the Union of Northern Workers and the Government of the Northwest Territories' negotiations.

The GNWT and the UNW received correspondence from mediator Mr. Vince Ready on November 15, 2018, confirming the views that he expressed to the parties on conclusions of mediation on October 26, 2018. He confirmed that, in his view, further mediation talks should be scheduled to explore terms of settlement. Additional mediation dates have been scheduled with Mr. Ready for...

Yes.