Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today, my question is for the Minister for Infrastructure. Going from a new buyer to a provider for riverboat transportation, I know there are going to be some unforeseen delays as you first start up. My first question is, the whole intent was to deliver and guarantee POL product services to eight communities, and the question is: has that been accomplished to eight GNWT stations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The sailing season is still ongoing. We still have, I believe, another boat to leave Hay River here in the next week or so, but I believe, for the most part, all the communities that were vulnerable to us not buying this asset have been serviced and their freight has been delivered, for the most part. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That leads me to my next question. I know we are entering into the last closure of our sailing season, which is very important to many of the communities. Then afterward the next phase for the community is isolation until the next access season.
I am wondering if the Minister would check into the Sahtu communities, three in particular, if dry goods and products are destined. Particularly Norman Wells, the vehicle support needed for winter road operations for the Department of Transportation or DOI, and Health and Social Services' new facility is waiting for furniture. If the Minister could check to see if those items would be delivered this month?
I don't have that type of detail here with me, but I can certainly get hold of the department and get back to him. As I said, I think we have one more boat that is sailing this year, and I suspect that anything that was delayed for those two communities will be on there, but I will follow up with that.
We have an old saying in the Sahtu, and we have come to adjust it and accommodate it when an unforeseen challenge is encountered: we do not want to miss the boat. On another note, with the acquisition of the marine services, now called Marine Transportation Services, has the department met or exceeded the employment and training expectations as sought out at the beginning of the season?
I don't know if we have met or had an expectation of how many people we were going to hire. We hired the people who we needed to run this operation, but I can tell the Members of this House that, at peak employment of July 31st, we had 141 employees at marine transportation. Sixty were from the Northwest Territories, and 81 were from outside the Northwest Territories, and most of those 81 were to crew the boats.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My last question is that, since the September 7th operational report, I would suspect and if the Minister could confirm that we will receive the year-end or season-end operational report identifying the achievements and the learning expectations for next summer included in that report? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I believe I have been quoted in this House saying that we would go back in front of committee after our sailing season to update committee and all Members of this House of all the challenges and successes that we have had in the sailing season. I believe, for the most part, we have had a great season to be able to accomplish what we have done to service the communities and keep down the cost of living and get the commodities and products to these communities to give them more certainty moving forward. I look forward to updating the committee on the operations going forward and the lessons learned from this sailing season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Question 826-18(2):
Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Lands in his capacity for coordinating GNWT input into environmental assessments such as the Grays Bay Port and Road Project in Nunavut. What is the GNWT understanding of the status of the Bathurst caribou herd, and how does that influence our input into environmental assessments? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, the government is responsible for the management, habitat conservation, and sustainable use of barren ground caribou and collaborates with Aboriginal governments and organizations, co-management boards, and communities. The GNWT carefully reviews the details of each project proposal with respect to its caribou responsibilities and provides evidence and recommendations for the consideration of all parties and the assessing body.
The GNWT is continuing to work collaboratively with Nunavut stakeholders and other affected parties on the Bathurst caribou range plan and will continue to engage with Nunavut partners on options to maintain the integrity of the Bathurst calving area. We do realize this is an important issue and it does guide our response to environmental projects that are coming forward.
Thanks to the Minister for that response, and I might have to follow up with a different Minister about the status of the Bathurst herd. Later today I'm going to be tabling the comment letter submitted by Department of Lands to the Nunavut Impact Review Board on the Grays Bay Port and Road Project. Several other letters were submitted by the NWT Indigenous governments and they have expressed very serious concerns/reservations about this Grays Bay Port and Road Project because it will cut through the remaining calving grounds of the Bathurst caribou herd. What is the position of our government on the Grays Bay Port and Road Project? Does our government support the project or not, and why?
The government supports the Government of Nunavut and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association's recommendation that further environmental review of the project would be valuable, and recommends that the federal government provide participant funding for any such review.
The Government of Nunavut and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association are, of course, the proponents. The GNWT recognizes the potential transboundary economic benefits associated with infrastructure corridors such as the Grays Bay road and port and supports strategic infrastructure developments such as this project.
We heard earlier today that resources make up 40 per cent of our economy, and it's important we support these types of projects. It will be of great benefit not only to ourselves but Nunavut also and the country at large.
Thanks to the Minister for that response. Several of the Indigenous governments have actually asked that the project be stopped or delayed given the condition of the Bathurst caribou herd, but our government is prepared to support it. This project is going to involve use of winter roads on our side of the boundary, and as the Minister said there are going to be transboundary, environmental, and socioeconomic impacts. I would like the Minister to explain why our government did not call for a full federal panel review under Part 6 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement for the Grays Bay Port and Road Project, which would have included participant funding. It is required under the federal legislation and it could have included representation on the panel from this side of the border, so why did our government not ask for a Part 6 review under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement for the Grays Bay Port and Road Project?
The Government of the Northwest Territories believes that Northerners should make decisions that affect Northerners and that the Nunavut Impact Review Board is fully capable of assessing the impacts of this project. We are satisfied that the board has fully considered NWT concerns in previous Part 5 reviews. I think it is under their legislation. We are confident that this project will be fully considered by the Nunavut board, and therefore we are not seeking intervention by the federal government.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for that. We're not asking for federal intervention. Part 6 is about being sure it's a full federal panel. They're appointed by the federal government and it could have included representation from this side of the border, but we cut off our nose to spite our face.
Clearly, the routing for the Slave Geological Province road was chosen by our government without any regard for caribou as stated by the Minister of Transportation in this House. Can the Minister of Lands tell us what kind of credibility our government can possibly have in any review of the Grays Bay Port and Road Project when we continue to push for a road on our side of the border without any regard to its impacts on the Bathurst caribou herd? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
The Department of Infrastructure is working with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to identify gaps in knowledge and opportunities with respect to caribou population along the proposed corridor, so it's not as though we are in any way ignoring this very important issue; and I realize that this is a complex issue.
I want to repeat, however, that we are concerned about the issue of this caribou herd and that any of our planning will take into account the grave concerns that we've heard about the diminution of the numbers of this caribou herd that travels between Nunavut and ourselves. We are confident, however, in Nunavut's and our processes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
