Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very dismayed by the answers today from the Minister of Transportation. We are hearing that this is federal responsibility, yet the Minister wrote to the federal government and got no response and there was no follow-up. This government does not seem to care about dredging in Hay River. I don’t care whose responsibility it is. Newsflash: They left 20 years ago; they’re not coming back. Somebody has to be responsible.
I don’t know why it has to stay a federal responsibility. Maybe the Minister can tell me that.
Why does it have to be a federal responsibility? Why can’t it be a territorial responsibility? Why can’t you put aside funds? I don’t care if you contract it out. I don’t care if you add it on to the marine division at the Department of Transportation. This needs to be done. Some way, somehow the river has to be dredged. A community is at stake here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Taking over federal responsibility may require us to create a department. There would be more discussion rather than us just asking the federal government to step up with $12 million to follow their responsibilities and dredge the Hay River. If we are going to start taking over or going into areas the federal government don’t seem to wish to do or don’t wish to spend their money on, then it would not be wise for GNWT to step in and start taking over federal responsibilities, pay for federal responsibilities.
This is a federal responsibility. We’ve written to them. We’ve asked them. They didn’t respond. We’ve advised them we thought it was important, essential for us to provide supplies from Hay River to other communities. We have received no response. We don’t feel that we should now take over their responsibilities. Thank you.
What’s the alternative? If our government doesn’t want to take over federal responsibility, what is the alternative? Just wait for the waterways or passageways to fill in with silt?
Could the Minister, for my benefit and the benefit of our constituents, please tell me why this must be designated as a federal responsibility? Even though it traditionally was, why does it today still need to be tagged as a federal responsibility? Why can’t it be a territorial responsibility? Thank you.
It is a federal responsibility and the Department of Transportation is not in a position to take over areas that are federal responsibility. We can’t just move in and start to fund areas that are a federal responsibility.
Right now we go through a process. When a department from the federal government is devolved to the Government of the Northwest Territories, or any government for that matter, there is a process. If that responsibility devolves from the GNWT, then it would become a GNWT responsibility and it would come with money and personnel. Just to go in and take over federal responsibility at our expense would not be something that this government could do, even if they wished to.
I still don’t understand, from the Minister’s explanation, why the dredging in Hay River has to be deemed a federal responsibility. I understand it traditionally was. I understand that the federal government vacated their responsibility with response to the dredging.
Is there some legal reason why we have to call that a federal responsibility? Why can’t it be a territorial responsibility without going through some transfer or mandate and some transfer of funds? Why can’t we just take it up and say we’re going to take care of it? Why? What is the legal impediment? Thank you.
Aside from their fiscal responsibility of spending money dredging the harbour, we don’t have the legislation to take over areas. That particular area is now federal responsibility. Even if we had the money to go in and dredge it once and go in and take the responsibility, this would be something that would continue.
It’s important that we, as a government, continue to have discussions with the federal government, for them to step up and take care of their responsibility. I have written a letter to Fisheries and Oceans asking them to do it. No response. Our officials from Transportation have talked to Transport Canada about the issue and also with Fisheries and Oceans about the issue. We have no resolve on this. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the government does not want the fiscal and financial responsibility of dredging Hay River. Let me ask the Minister… Obviously, we are at a standoff. The feds are not responding to the request of anybody from this government about the dredging of Hay River.
Who is going to stop the territorial government if they go in there and dredge? I know we don’t want to take on the fiscal responsibility. If we start dredging it, then that’s our responsibility, but legally what is stopping us from dredging that harbour?
We have not talked about moving in and starting to go into an area where the federal government is responsible. Currently, the federal government is going through elections. We can raise that with the federal government for them to take responsibility. If this Assembly decides we need to take over Fisheries and Oceans’ responsibilities, then that’s another discussion that would have to be had by all of us and the governments responsible, the federal government. I don’t think that’s a discussion we can have here and make a decision to dredge it once and then the problem is solved. It’s an ongoing issue and the appropriate people have to step forward to do their jobs, not GNWT. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
