Tom Beaulieu

So the Minister is telling me that, if Avalon or the company that would be building the mine at Thor Lake would like to discuss possibility of having an all-season road built to their mine site, then they should come to the Minister to have that discussion and also that they should be prepared to do consultation with the YK Dene? Is that correct?

Has the Minister at any point during his discussions gotten into what might make that project viable and what might get that project started with the company?

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I made a Member's statement on Avalon rare earth resources. I have questions for the Minister of ITI. I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister has been engaged in any discussion with the mining company that is hoping to continue or start operations at Thor Lake? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if during his discussion there was any feel for whether or not they will go beyond this small-scale mining operation that they are planning now? They must be doing it because of the current situation with rare earths right across the globe. I am wondering if the Minister had any indication whether or not the company wants to move beyond a small-scale mining operation?

Does the Minister know if that company has any discussions or any engagements at all with the Aboriginal groups, Indigenous groups in the area, specifically I think maybe Lutselk'e, YK Dene, and Fort Resolution?

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about a resource development project that has been in the works for the last several years within the riding of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. The project that I am referring to is the Nechalacho Rare Earth Elements Project, which is located 100 kilometres southeast of Yellowknife at Thor Lake.

Mr. Speaker, this project is a unique economic opportunity for not only the NWT, but for our country and our global allies. I say this because currently there are no such resource development projects that exist anywhere in North America. That is...

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I have two documents to table. The first is a letter from the Native Women's Association NWT that was written to the Honourable Glen Abernethy, Minister of Health and Social Services, and the second is a petition that does not meet all of the guidelines of a petition to be tabled, so I am presenting this as a letter from the Deninu Kue First Nation to the Honourable Minister Abernethy, Department of Health and Social Services, on the Fort Resolution 'Our Great Elders Facility.' Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister's idea about debundling, I think, is a good idea. I would like to ask the Minister, if he was to debundle a project, for example, of something that's worth $10 million debundled into two or three projects, if the smaller the bundles are the better opportunities there are for northern companies. So I would like to ask the Minister if he could break the bundles down to a point where it gives the best advantage to northern companies?

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. You just caught me a bit off guard. I was trying to send a note to the Minister of Infrastructure. You didn't get it yet?

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to ask a general question. I want to try to provide a little more detail on what I'm trying to get to, but, Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister if the Minister has any flexibility on large tenders? What I'm asking is what the flexibility would be; if the two bids were very close and there was this southern bid, would the full application of any BIP or anything that would be in a southern bid was just marginally out, I guess...

I would like to thank the Minister for correcting me. I was calling it tax exemptions, but I meant tax rebates. Thank you. On the fuels that are exempted like heating fuels and aviation fuel, at some point, I think both of those fuels will be produced in the south and hauled. I want to ask the Minister if the individuals who are hauling heating fuels, like a trucking company, or as we buy the fuels off the rack, and then the transportation costs of that, I would like to ask the Minister if carbon tax is imposed upon the people who are actually hauling the fuel to the Northwest Territories?