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.
