Tom Beaulieu

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke about the impact the diamond mines have in my Tu Nedhe riding. One of the positive impacts is increased employment for Tu Nedhe residents. Though there are some opportunities for the diamond mines when you look the big picture, the community is very marginal.

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that a good majority of the residents who wish to remain and work in their communities are faced with bleak employment opportunities. I know that employment activity in the communities is a function of natural market and...

Can the Premier tell us what impacts resource revenue sharing could have on our budget and our current transfer payment system?

Earlier this afternoon I spoke about the impact that the diamond mines have on the Tu Nedhe riding in relation to the diamond industry and the resource revenue arrangements for the NWT. I’d like to ask the Premier if he would tell us what discussions his government has had with the federal government regarding resource revenue sharing.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about how the diamond industry has impacted the Tu Nedhe communities. I’m not sure if everyone knows, but the BHP, Diavik and De Beers diamond mines are within the Tu Nedhe riding.

October of this year will mark the tenth year that BHP has been operating, and this past January Diavik Diamond Mine has been in operation for five years. This month it will be four years that De Beers’ Snap Lake project has been operating.

The diamond mine presence has both positive and negative impacts for Tu Nedhe. Economically the diamond industries have increased employment...

Mr. Chair, a lot of my concerns with HR are in the area of supporting and monitoring. Initially, when the Department of HR was created, the worked that was being done I assumed was going to be work that was going to provide monitoring and support to the small HR units that were in each department. But as it turns out, we've created a fairly substantial Human Resource division, as indicated in the Mains, of 167 employees, which is down from last year.

In some of my questioning that the Minister could be prepared for, I would like to talk about some of the self-service issues surrounding the self...

Just a question for the Premier on whether or not the $17 million benefit as a result of resource revenue sharing is a full increase of what we get now or if that’s what we’re going to get — period.

Can the Premier tell us: what is the position of this current government with respect to resource revenue sharing?

They continue to hear of huge profits the diamond mines are making year after year, yet the communities, our ultimate residents, are not seeing the real noticeable benefits from revenue generated by these diamond mines. With the proposed budget cuts that could impact all of us, why are we not maximizing our participation in this resource revenue agreement?

Later today I will have a follow-up statement and some questions for the Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a written question for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. What is the status of the Multi-Project Environmental Monitoring Agency (MPEMA)? Is it up and running or non-existent?

Recently a constituent told me that there are many other young people in the community that are in desperate need of proper counselling. This is a very serious concern for the community of Lutselk’e. I can understand the challenges our government is facing, working in these times of fiscal restraint, but when you have three suicides in the span of 24 months in a community of under 400, we need to review the programs and services that are being delivered, in areas such as effective cross-cultural training for our front-line staff in these communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.