Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions as well today are addressed to the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources and I want to follow up on my statement.
I mentioned a number of concerns that I’ve heard from constituents with regard to the draft Wildlife Act. I’d like to ask the Minister first off, he mentioned, I believe it was last week, that he was on draft number 54 of the act. I’d like to know what draft number we’re on now, and as a result of that, what changes have been made to the draft act as a direct result of concerns expressed during the consultation process. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we’re about draft 56, and I have a list here, Mr. Speaker, it’s a request for technical detail. The committee was fully briefed; the Member was fully briefed last week. We gave a good overview of the changes that have been made and there are numerous, and in an attempt to be as responsive as possible and still maintain the integrity of the bill. Thank you.
Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that at least we’ve made some changes since last week. That’s a good thing, but I am concerned that the people that made submissions, the people that have concerns... For instance, I heard concerns from air carriers, I heard concerns from individuals, I heard concerns from organizations. How will those people and their questions be advised of the changes that have occurred to date? How will their questions which they posed during the consultation process be answered, and how will that information and the answers to all these questions and concerns also be made available to the public? Thank you.
Thank you. As I’ve indicated in this House previously, the proof will be in the pudding, as it were, as we come forward with a draft or the bill for first and second reading that will lay out the result of all that work, all the many iterations, the improvements, amendments and adjustments that have been made and are currently being finalized so that that fact can happen. Thank you.
To the Minister, I appreciate that the changes will be made in the act and that the act will come forward, but at the consultations that I attended there were specific questions from individuals and organizations and there were assurances to those people and those organizations that their questions would be answered, that they would be advised of answers to their questions. So again I ask the Minister, will people be answered? Will the questions that people asked be answered not in the act but in a letter, in an e-mail? We owe it to the people that made presentations and asked questions to give them an answer. So will that be done in a concrete manner apart from the act? Thank you.
Thank you. I’ll talk to the department about a concrete response outside of the act.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that the Minister is willing to talk to his department. That’s always a good thing. I would like to know from the Minister if he expects that this will be a public document or will it be an individual response to the people who asked the questions. I think, in my mind, the public is also owed these answers, not just individuals. When can we see this?
If there were public meetings, we’ll have to see the best forum to respond. There were public meetings held in every community. As well, there have been e-mails and representations by individual groups and individuals themselves. We’ll have to see what the most effective way is to publicize this. Unless the Member is suggesting somehow that we do a blanket response to everybody and maybe publish in the paper or some such thing, I’m not sure what the Member has in mind.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are in follow-up to my Member’s statement and are related to the consultation process currently, or just finished, with the Wildlife Act.
Public consultations are an important tool to the GNWT. They allow us to go out and meet with our constituents and residents of the Northwest Territories and hear what they have to say and allow them input into our important acts and legislational programs. Could the Minister tell me -- and he started to go down this road a little bit -- how he intends to provide some comfort to those groups that feel that their voice was not heard during these consultation processes?
Yes, I participated in the briefing and I heard some of the things that they're planning to do with respect to the act, but I’m only one person. We’re 11 on this side. The public need to hear it as well. What is the Minister doing to restore some of the confidence of those people that their voices are being heard?
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, I don’t necessarily agree with the Member in terms of the restoring of confidence. There was a very public, long-term process, very expensive and exhaustive, and we will demonstrate that we’ve been listening, when you look at the bill. That’s the comfort that we’re going to provide people. Not everybody will be happy. This is a consultative process. We’re a consensus government. There’s lots of compromise, but this bill, compared to the bill that is currently there -- 32 years old -- is going to be a huge improvement. It’s long overdue. It’s going to reflect, finally, our obligation under land claims and self-government agreements. It’s going to reflect that we’ve been listening to the concerns from Northerners in all areas. Things like the residency clause; that is where it’s going to be reflected and that’s where people should be looking.
I’d like to thank the Minister for that response. There are other obligations to the ones he’s referring to here today. We have an obligation to all the residents in the Northwest Territories, including the non-Aboriginal hunters who don’t feel that they have a voice in this act.
I know the Minister’s department went out and met with different groups. I’m asking the Minister what he’s going to do, or have his department do, to restore some of the confidence to those people that their voices have been heard. If the department has made changes based on what these groups have said, let’s stand up and say what those changes are. Let’s demonstrate that his department did listen to the people of the Northwest Territories. That’s what I’m asking. Can he give us some examples that demonstrate that he heard the people of the Northwest Territories, in particular the non-Aboriginal hunters who did not participate in the drafting of this act?
I’d qualify that in terms of some non-Aboriginal hunters and they were represented very ably by the Government of the Northwest Territories. If the Member will wait until the first part of March for when we come in with the bill for first and second reading, then we’ll lay out all the work that’s been done, all the amendments that have been made in response to the feedback we’ve received.
Obviously we have a difference of opinion. I feel that it’s important to give some people a heads up before we drop this act in front of them. I feel that it’s important that the department or, rather, the Minister before he places an act in front of us is sure that everybody’s voice has been heard.
Over the 56 versions in the 17 years of developing this act I wonder if the Minister could tell me how much has been spent in consulting each of the two communities, the Aboriginal and treaty rights holders and those without these rights. Could the Minister give me that information?
This process in its entirety has cost well nigh onto $2 million.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That was not a response. I asked specifically what the cost breakdown between the two different communities, the treaty rights holders and the individuals without these rights, what are those individual costs? Also, it’s my understanding, at least from the session that I attended, that the department had individuals attending these sessions who were documenting everything that was said. I was wondering if the Minister could confirm that detailed notes were put together and whether or not those detailed notes that explain what they heard could be shared.
I’m not quite sure what type of distinction the Member wants to create. We had public meetings -- public meetings -- in every community. Some we went back to twice. Now, was the Member expecting us to do a head count and count who was Aboriginal and who was non-Aboriginal and apportion cost by head count? I don’t know what point the Member is making here. The fact is this process for Northerners cost well nigh into $2 million and, yes, we had note takers at the meeting. Yes, notes were taken. I will check to see what would be the best way to possibly put out a summary of the various observations and feedback that we did receive.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment follow-up questions from my Member’s statement on the lack of playground equipment over at the Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson. The parents group has been fundraising. The Minister was in Fort Simpson. We spoke to the group. I believe there was a commitment at that time by the Minister to the parents group to say that he would assist in purchasing the playground equipment. Will the Minister be considering that?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. First let me commend the parent group for their tireless efforts in fundraising. This will definitely go a long way. As I stated when I was visiting Fort Simpson, I’m willing to work with the parents and willing to work with the DEA. There has been some correspondence between MLA Menicoche, myself and the DEA that we need to collaborate together. Working with the parent group, I must say that they are kick-starting this fundraising initiative and I’m willing to work with that.
That’s exactly what the parents are looking for, that the Minister is willing to work with the community, because now it’s a community-based organization; the work with the DEA, the Dehcho Divisional Education Council as well. Once the collaboration continues, will the Education, Culture and Employment Minister be contributing to the Bompas Elementary School playground initiative?
We don’t have specific funding for playground equipment that the Member is referring to for replacement of, but I did commit in this House that I’m willing to work with the parents group and the fundraising that they’re initiating to see what we can do as a department. I’m willing to work with that DEA member and also the parents group. That will be my commitment.
I think the Minister made a soft commitment here and the parents group are looking for something stronger. They thought that he had said something stronger back in the October meeting. That’s the type of commitment that I’m looking for here today, and the parents group is really looking forward to the Minister helping out with this very important issue for the children in Fort Simpson.
I did make a commitment. It may be soft but, as I indicated, my department will work closely with the DEA. I understand there’s been some correspondence on the playground equipment, the cost of it. The Member has alluded to $60,000 for the playground. That’s the number that we need to work with. How much the fundraising initiative of the parents group will be initiating still remains to be seen, but as I made the commitment, let’s work with this and work with the community of Fort Simpson to see what will come out of it.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. For sure the parents have been raising money. I’m going to use $10,000 as an estimate. They’ve been working very hard, the parents, the children, the teachers. I’d like to ask the Minister to acknowledge that, that they have been working hard and they will be looking for matching funds.
I definitely acknowledge that. Any group or organization that kick-starts fundraising or other initiatives, that’s always something that we want to work with as a department, as the GNWT. If there are matching funds that the Member is alluding to, those are the areas that we need to explore. Again, I’m willing to work with that.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For my Member’s statement today I was talking about Darnley Bay Resources and Diadem Resources who are looking for precious metals and diamonds in the community of Paulatuk, just outside of the community; the night of another promising indicator the results of the recent findings and the demands of a number of groups and organizations to see the Paulatuk community participate meaningfully. Will this government devote necessary resources to train people to build infrastructure needed so the local economy can truly benefit?
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Darnley Bay project is in the early exploration stages and the president and CEO, Mr. Stephen Reford, was in Paulatuk on February 1st and at that time he announced that there would be two drilling campaigns underway in 2011. We’re very excited about that.
As well, Diadem Resources Ltd., which is a 50 percent partner, also announced the results of their diamond drilling on the Franklin diamond project which is located on Parry Peninsula. The results are very encouraging. There are seven diamondiferous kimberlites discovered, including one microdiamond. So the potential looks very good. As the project progresses, I’m sure that, as in other diamond projects, we would work on developing the necessary infrastructure as we go forward.
Similar to the funding provided to the Paulatuk Development Corporation for the purchase of the 20-person movable exploration camp, will the government consider providing funding for the economic ventures that require considerable start-up, such as buying the equipment needed and the training of local people? Other than bringing them in from outside, we want meaningful employment. The diamond mines that we have here in the Territory already do not hire from Nunakput, so we want to train our own so that we can take care of ourselves.
That certainly is the basis for the Sustainable Development Policy of the Government of the Northwest Territories. We’d be very pleased to work with the community as opportunities become real and as the results of the exploration are examined and confirmed.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. We get the training that is needed as we go forward to the project, that training of all positions of these two major projects that I hope to go through with regard to the local hires before the outsiders come in, basically taking care of our local people in the communities in the region of Nunakput.
Mr. Speaker, would this government be able to set up sort of like a mine training exercise up in the Inuvik region? Thank you.
The president and CEO, when he visited Paulatuk, his primary purpose was to lay out the groundwork for the hiring of local people as well as fine-tuning the logistical aspects of the project. We have set up mine training projects with other communities and we would be very pleased to approach the Mine Training Society and work with the community of Paulatuk. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about the need to work through the red tape and perhaps even create a process that would deal with red tape. Not more red tape, of course.
I’d like to ask questions today to the Minister responsible for the Strategic Investment Committee on Refocusing Government. My first question to that Minister would be: what has this government done through its programming and efforts to reduce red tape for small business and can they cite a few examples? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for refocusing government, Mr. Michael Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The primary initial focus of the Program Review Committee has been on identifying efficiencies within government, things like the proposal to build an office building in Yellowknife, the work that’s been done on the pupil/teacher ratio on the inclusive schooling, on the medical travel, and a host of other areas. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, has the government consulted at all with small business in any form on the initiative of red tape and how the government can respond to the needs and requirements that have been created by the administrative burden through the bureaucracy in its requirement and hunger and thirst for more paper? Has the Minister engaged small business? Thank you.
