Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Listening to my colleague Mr. Bromley bring it up before, and in my Member’s statement regarding the news that we had from the Prime Minister today, my questions are asked to the Department of Transportation. What are the chances of seeing if we could get extra funding this year to start from the Tuk side to kilometre 22 on extra funding to bring it up to 90 kilometre standards to get work in the community of Tuk and to bring outside people in the riding from Inuvik, such as Sachs Harbour and Paulatuk, to get jobs in the community? What are the chances of that?
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a number of things that we would like to continue doing and working on. Source 77 road is, of course, always on our agenda. We also want to do more work on the Environmental Impact Review Board submission. We’ve earmarked some dollars internally to address that and we want to continue those discussions. We also need to start our discussions with the Inuvialuit on some of the gravel sources that we’re going to need, and use of the land, and purchase of the land. There are a lot of things we’d like to do. We want to keep the momentum going on this project. Of course, the final decision will be resting with the 17th Legislative Assembly to decide whether this all-season road goes ahead or not. Thank you.
The federal government gave us $150 million for this project to open up the highway system sea to sea to sea. I think the question that I’m asking is pretty straightforward. Do we have money in the government transportation to see if we could keep the roadwork able to start this winter for 90 kilometres standards between 177 in Tuk? The review board and that is doing the rest of the highway, but do we have funding in place that we could start?
First of all, the money identified in the federal government’s announcement is to start next year. The decision whether construction can start will be done and made by the 17th Assembly. We as a department and all our officials along with other departments are working towards doing all the legwork that’s required, all the discussions that need to happen prior to the election, and during the election the work will continue. We want to have the information available for the Members as they return or the Members that are part of the 17th Assembly.
I’ve also asked Minister Aglukkaq to have a meeting. We don’t have a whole lot of time, but I’d still like to have the opportunity to sit down face to face, whether it’s in the territories or in Ottawa, to discuss the terms of the funding. That hasn’t been sorted out completely. Our officials are having those discussions, but we would really like to have a better handle on how the money is going to be flowed, to who and how much. There are lots of things that have to happen and they all have to be paid for from internal sources within our departments. Whether I can commit to the Member that the work will happen this year on the request he’s just made is difficult. We are trying to fund a number of initiatives on this project with a very limited source of funding.
Mr. Speaker, with the project, all of the regulatory processes are in place for 177. With the money starting, I mean, with the 17th Legislative Assembly over a four-year term, I won’t say the numbers, but it’s doable, and I hope to be here to push it through. At the end of the day, from 177 to Tuk, we have no work in the community this winter. All we’re going to have is the ice road. The ice road work that is yearly, $600,000 a year. The government has to try to stimulate the economy up north.
All I’m asking for is if we’re sure of the federal government’s commitment for the $150 million, would the Minister commit monies to go forward this winter to start work in the 177.
I hear the Member loud and clear. The reality is there are a number of initiatives that we have to embark on to get the information that is required to help the 17th Assembly make the decision on a going-forward basis. We want to ensure that they have the best information in front of them as possible. If I was to commit to finishing some of the work on source 177, then in all probability we wouldn’t have the money to do the environmental impact report, which is close to a million dollars.
I can commit to the Member that we’ll look very closely. The money that’s required will have to come from internal sources, and at this point we don’t know if it will be available for contingent work in that area.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Moving on to the meeting with the federal government, will the mayors of Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik be invited, and the parties that are involved with this project be invited to the meeting?
Mr. Speaker, we have been pushing for a meeting since the announcement of these dollars was made, and up to now it’s been challenging to get all the schedules to coordinate. We’ve indicated we would like to have the mayors from Tuk and from Inuvik join us, and we again today reinforced that we still would like to have a meeting, and we’re hoping to have positive feedback on that.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister further questions on the issue I just spoke about. Mr. Speaker, I live on the Mackenzie River. A lot of my people also live on the river and live in areas where water is their source of life. The Auditor General report from 2010 states that water quality monitoring in the North is not adequate. The federal government signed a Water Stewardship Strategy with the GNWT that talks about improving the water quality monitoring in the Northwest Territories. In closing, Mr. Speaker, the federal government signed a land claim agreement within the Northwest Territories that includes provisions related to substantially unaltered water quality.
I want to ask the Minister, in light of what the federal government has done today to suspend water quality monitoring stations on the Mackenzie, what is this government going to do to see if this agreement here that the feds have signed and we have also signed, that we know that our water isn’t altered in any way of the quality that we are receiving. Who’s looking out for the water?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Who’s looking out for the water, Mr. Speaker? We are. We, this Legislative Assembly, we, the working group, the Aboriginal Steering Committee that drafted and brought together the Water Strategy. I have on my desk a draft letter, that I have to get signed off before I leave tomorrow, to the Ministers, expressing our strong concern about what has happened and the cutback to those resources and cutbacks that are happening in general, and their inability to come to the table to participate fully through Indian Affairs with the water transboundary agreements. We have some significant issues that we’re going to have to deal with the federal government and we are taking the steps necessary to do that.
I look forward to that letter being sent to the Members for their follow up.
Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie River three stations that were under the suspension are Strong Point, Norman Wells and Arctic Red River. The Mackenzie River has been identified as one of the only few critical river systems at risk in Canada by the World Wildlife Fund that’s not being monitored currently. The Mackenzie River should be considered international transboundary water because it flows into the Arctic Ocean, or a heritage river given its significance to Canada and the world.
I want to ask the Minister who today is doing the water quality monitoring on the Mackenzie. Is it industry reporting and being their own watchdog? Who is doing it right now?
We know, clearly, what has been closed. I don’t have the specific list of the other monitoring that is being undertaken, but industry would have responsibilities as well. In terms of broad overall monitoring of the aquatic ecosystems tied to the Mackenzie River basin, the federal government has the primary responsibility and they are scaling back those resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Shame on this federal government for scaling back on such an essential part of our life: the water.
I want to ask the Minister, the water quality monitoring in our national parks has been suspended, leaving our parks really vulnerable. I want to ask the Minister, in his Water Strategy with the federal government, now, I’m not too sure how good that document is, but I believe the Minister is working very hard and it’s a fine document. What will it take the federal government to know that these responsibilities, the core of our people, and leaving national parks in as vulnerable a position as this, when mining is so actively involved in our area and in parks that are going to be established, and the ones that have already been established? What is the Minister doing?
This gets us back to the issue of devolution and taking over authority for land, water and resource development in the Northwest Territories. Right now we are at the mercy of the federal government. They will consult with us, but really they have the whip hand as it were. So if we get a devolution deal, as the Premier has been saying, Northerners will finally make decisions in the North, about the North, for the North, by Northerners. Right now we’re having this discussion about decisions that remain 4,000 or 5,000 miles away. We weren’t consulted. We just got the notification that we shared with the Members. So if there was ever impetus and a good reason why Northerners should say let’s come together and take this over and move forward to become the decision-makers in our own land, this has to be it. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister makes a good point. Maybe it’s about time that we get our act together, as they’ve been saying, and work on this, because the federal government sure ain’t taking care of us in the North, and it shows right now, it’s black and white with red all over that they are going to do things for us that are not good. I think what I want to ask the Minister in regard to devolution is why are we going to talk about only two monitoring stations that are right now in the federal government’s responsibility when we want all 21 more. The federal government is killing us, really, Mr. Speaker. So I want to ask the Minister is it still good to go ahead with devolution.
Thank you. This is the time for devolution. We’ve been waiting forty-some years since 1967. The Member has stood here in the most impassioned way decrying what’s happening to us, decisions being made by a far-away government that we have no control over, money being taken away, fiduciary obligations not looked after, legal obligations and land claims brought into question.
Mr. Speaker, I would think if the Member would stand up and say yes, this is time for devolution, that we can do this as Northerners to take over those authorities to protect the interests today and for tomorrow, because right now it’s not happening.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
How many lots owned by the NWT Housing Corporation were previously owned by community members?
How many grievances were filed with the NWTHC regarding lots previously owned by community members?
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
How does the Premier explain the lack of Dene participation in the Devolution Agreement-in-Principle with the federal government?
What is the Premier doing to advance talks on devolution with the Gwich’in and other Dene organizations that are currently outside the process?
In what areas is the government willing to push for an improved devolution package that would satisfy the concerns of Dene governments?
What will the Premier do to ensure that the Government of the Northwest Territories meets its obligations as set out in land claim agreements and ongoing negotiations on the devolution package?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. I’m not sure if this falls under the qualification for a written question. I don’t think anything in there the Premier could answer at the present time. We will have a look at it, but thank you, Mr. Krutko.
---Ruled Out of Order
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents entitled proposed Legal Aid Act and the new Legal Aid Act Consultation Paper, August 2011. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled the Status Report, Department of Finance Summary of Strategic Initiatives, Actions, Activities, Deliverables and Timelines. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Public Works and Services Energy Conservation Projects Annual Report, 2010. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Caribou Forever: Our Heritage, Our Responsibility - A Barren-ground Caribou Management Strategy for the Northwest Territories, 2011-2015. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table the following two documents entitled Status of Women Council 2009-2010 Annual Report, and the Status of Women Council 2010-2011 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Caucus chair I’m very pleased to table a key results and accomplishments report for the 16th Legislative Assembly. Mr. Speaker, one of the unique features of consensus government is the way in which all Members are able to participate in and execute the strategic plan for an Assembly. I mentioned yesterday how much I enjoyed taking part in this exercise at the commencement of this Assembly. This report provides a succinct record of the many good things that were achieved by both the executive and legislative branches in the last four years and by all 19 Members working together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
