Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is said water is life and life is water. Hydraulic fracking will be a big issue for the Northwest Territories now. During the review of the Department of Natural Resources’ budget, some of the Members of this side of the House shared some concerns about fracking because of the oil and gas development in the Sahtu, and that it’s putting pressure on the Government of the Northwest Territories, federal regulatory and Aboriginal organizations to make decisions about the use of this technology.
Fracking would make us wealthy, but at what cost? The process involves blasting thousands of gallons of water treated with chemicals deep underground to release the oil and gas resources. Flowback from the wells is very polluted and often pumped back underground. When we take the water and put it underground, it can never be used again. Are we putting our water quality at risk?
The sand used in fracking is in such high demand it creates its own industry. Entire hillsides are being excavated, landscapes changed in order to mine the sand for fracking wells. The sand is just one of the many loads that our ice roads will have to carry if we allow fracking in the Sahtu. This winter we have seen hundreds of truckloads of supplies on our winter roads, putting demand on our infrastructure like never before.
There are some concerns. Fracking is completely banned in some places and very controversial in other jurisdictions. We in the Sahtu need to know the unknowns about fracking. Canada has invested a lot of education and publicity on the hydraulic fracking. Provinces such as BC and Alberta have regulatory systems that handle issues such as water use and drilling procedures. Their inspectors have substantial enforcement powers. We will need that in the Northwest Territories. For example, the National Energy Board’s recent action with Husky Oil in the Sahtu demonstrates that effective enforcement is possible in the Northwest Territories as well.
The environmental impact of hydraulic fracking is a global issue.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
I encourage the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to begin to pay close attention to all developments in the areas of protection and environmental stewardship, and to study best practices in other jurisdictions. We need to make the best choice and find ways to mitigate the impacts of this technology on our land, water, people and animals. Life flows from our water.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
