Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize all the Pages that work in this session and specifically two Pages from Yellowknife South, Kaitlyn Hayward and Matt Walker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize a couple of Pages from Inuvik Twin Lakes. We have Mr. Cameron Wolki-Jacobson and Mr. Andrew Clark. We appreciate the work that all the Pages have done this past session. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I, again, would like to recognize some Pages: Shiri MacPherson is actually in the House this time, daughter of our Law Clerk; Jacob Shubert, I don’t know if he’s in the House; and Niva Stephenson. I know Niva’s proud papa is in the gallery today and I’d also like to recognize John Stephenson, a constituent of Weledeh. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize constituent Ms. Sarah Erasmus, co-owner of Erasmus Apparel, in recognition of her receipt of the Economic Developer of the Year Award during the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg last week.
Ms. Erasmus was nominated for the award and selected by the board as one of two candidates from nominees across the country. While actually attending the AGM to speak at the youth panel there, she learned of the board’s selection. Sarah’s presentation at the AGM sealed the deal and she won the award.
Mr. Speaker, all of us in Weledeh, indeed across the NWT, are proud of this local young entrepreneur. Well done, Sarah.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of ITI. Yesterday we talked about education with Minister Lafferty, and another view of education is with the hunters and trappers in the Sahtu region. I want to ask the Minister of ITI what types of programs we have for our on-the-land professors who want to take out young students to train them how to be a good hunter and trapper, and also to be a good person.
What kinds of programs are there that young people can apply for and what types of programs are there for the elders and trappers to take these young people on the land to sustain our traditional economy? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have the highly successful Take a Kid Trapping Program that is provided through the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. We also involve the departments of ENR and MACA in that work. It is aimed at school-age children in getting them out on the land with trained trappers in the smaller communities. Thank you.
The Take a Kid Program is one of the most successful programs that I’ve witnessed in this government. It’s a good program; however, it’s geared towards high school students. I would like to ask the Minister what about the students who are outside the school-age system, the 18, 19 and 20-year-olds that are walking around, young men, ladies, where they want to go out with a trapper, what type of funding support can they give to them so that they can go out to the trapline.
Thank you. The current program, the Take a Kid Trapping Program, does not have the capacity or the financial resources to allow for it to take kids that are outside of the school system. I think the Member is talking about young adults or youth between 17 and 22 or 23. That’s something that perhaps as we move forward it’s something that I could talk to the officials at the Department of Justice, also the officials at Health and Social Services and the Ministers about perhaps getting some programming dollars for that segment of the population. It’s important that they are given the ability to get out trapping and learn the trade by folks that know it well. Thank you.
Thank you. With this idea that the Minister is putting out there, would he be able to, within this fiscal year, direct his staff to work with the other departments such as Justice, Health and Social Services, and Education, Culture and Employment to look at a new structure of a program through their working groups or the committees in the Sahtu to say this is something that’s unique, it’s different, where we can support these younger adults that want to learn about trapping and their way of life?
Thank you. Like I mentioned, it’s an area that we don’t cover off currently. It was highlighted in the Economic Opportunities Strategy as well. Again, by working with Justice, Health and Social Services and ITI, and also perhaps ENR, we can look at a way to address that segment of the population the Member speaks of and get some programming for those individuals as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know the government is going to be entertaining some of the main estimates in the next couple of months. Is this something that the Minister can foresee that it’s something where we could have some of these discussions within the main estimates?
Thank you. Time will be very tight and I don’t want to get expectations up, but certainly I will discuss this idea, this option with folks at ITI and at Justice. I know the Ministers are listening, as well, to the Member’s concerns. Whether or not we can actually get something up and running for the business plans that are coming up, that remains to be seen. I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep, but I’ll certainly take the idea and try to do something with it. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be for the new sheriff in town, Mr. Ramsay.
---Laughter
Following my statement, as you know, the community of Tsiigehtchic has been requesting a detachment for a number of years. So I’d like to ask the Minister if the community were to build a detachment, would the department enter into negotiations to lease the building and have a police officer stationed in Tsiigehtchic? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve been Justice Minister now for just over a week and I have yet to be fully briefed by the RCMP on the situation of detachments around the Northwest Territories. But with the community of Tsiigehtchic, I know that the RCMP is working with the community on the idea of getting accommodations in the community for RCMP members that are travelling in from Fort McPherson, which could have RCMP members staying in the community for up to eight days a month, which certainly improves the situation currently.
We’re also looking at RCMP community officers in Tsiigehtchic, as well, that would act as a liaison between the RCMP and the community with help in investigations and certainly be on the front line in the community in the event of an occurrence that the Member spoke of during his statement. Thank you.
Thank you. That’s good news. I’d like to ask the Minister, will the Minister work with the community to have a special constable situated in Tsiigehtchic. Thank you.
Thank you. As I highlighted in my previous response, that is something that the Department of Justice and the RCMP are currently working on to help address the needs in Tsiigehtchic. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Environment today and I would like to follow up on the Minister’s refusal to our citizens’ request to investigate the issue of unknown fracking chemicals being released into the environment.
While on a fracking tour, we learned that not only are the chemicals that are injected in the wells often not disclosed, but that under the intense pressure and heat found deep in these wells, the injected chemicals react with each other and with the stuff that is in the ground and create new chemicals.
Is the Minister of the Environment aware that what goes down is not necessarily the same as what comes back up? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe so, especially based on the edifying comments and statements I’ve listened to the Member make in this House over the last couple of weeks about the issue of fracking, the trips and some of the particulars as it relates to those particular practices. Thank you.
Thank you. Great to hear the Minister was listening. Section 2.(3) of the NWT Environmental Rights Act states: “Where there is a conflict between the terms of this act and the terms of any other enactment, this act shall prevail to the extent of the conflict.” The approvals given under the MVRMA do not demonstrate that the release of the unknown chemicals into the environment is safe.
Is it not clear to the Minister that there is a conflict here and the environmental rights of NWT citizens should prevail? Mahsi.
Thank you. In regard to the first part of the Member’s comment and question about which law would prevail, it relates to other territorial legislation. When there’s territorial legislation and federal legislation, then it has paramountcy. It overrules territorial legislation. That’s one issue.
The other issue is I’m convinced that the process that was put in place to approve those two wells, those two applications, was under the NEB, what’s voluntary and what they say in the questions part of their filing is they fully expect the proponents to disclose, which they’ve done. At the same time, we are currently, as well, as a government, working on our own fracking guidance document, which we have shared with the committee and we want to make sure we have the best practices there that will capture those specific concerns. Thank you.
Thank you. Such power. The Minister can shove aside the environmental rights of our citizens at his will.
Under Section 4.(4) the Minister is obliged to carry out an investigation and that the only reason that the Minister may discontinue an investigation is whereas per section 4.(6) “the Minister is of the opinion that the release or the likely release does not constitute a threat to the environment.”
Is the Minister of the opinion that the release of unknown contaminants into the environment does not constitute a threat to the environment and the public trust? Mahsi.
Thank you. What I am satisfied with is that we have a process under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, with the boards, with the environmental assessments that were done, the Sahtu Land and Water Board, with the NEB that addressed the issues, that we have a piece of legislation that pre-dates those acts. It does not have the ability to overrule federal legislation just from a legal point of view, and even if it did, I don’t believe that would be a requirement because I don’t think there are the concerns raised by the Members. I think it’s been covered by the NEB, by their document, by their new filings, and as we move forward there will be continued full disclosure, and as we take over we will be putting in place those best practices as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you. Clearly, the Minister is breaching through smoke and mirrors now. The NWT Environmental Rights Act is clear. The Minister is obliged to investigate the environmental rights of our citizens in our own legislation for the Northwest Territories people. We all know that in spite of talk of best practices, things don’t always go according to plan. When something does happen, how will he explain to NWT taxpayers that they are on the hook for a polluted lake and that he refused to even investigate when he had a legal obligation to do so? Hopefully it’s as small a concern as that. Mahsi.
Thank you. Those concerns are captured in the approvals and in all the conditions that were attached through the approvals for those two projects. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on my Member’s statement on Highway No. 7 with the Minister of Transportation. I’d like to know the type of investment in Highway No. 7 for the years 2014-15. Can he outline how much work they will be doing to Highway No. 7 for the next fiscal year? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In the plan, DOT has $3 million scheduled for 2014-15. That would be used for resurfacing and chipsealing sections of that highway. Thank you.
Thank you. Just in terms of chipsealing a section of Highway No. 7 from the B.C. border towards Fort Liard, it’s about 36 kilometres. Twenty kilometres of it has already been reconstructed, so we’re looking at reconstruction of another 16 kilometres. Residents are looking for chipsealing some of those kilometres, the ones that have already been constructed, about 20 kilometres. Is that in the plan? Thank you.
