Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, through devolution, through the contaminated sites, Canada kept the responsibility for the remuneration of a lot of the old contaminated sites along Great Bear Lake and I think there were about seven sites. There is a Waste Site Management Committee, inter-governmental committee that monitors the implementation of the waste sites charters. The government… Short answer is: the Government of Canada still has the responsibility for the remediation of those sites. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Now that we’ve identified there’s seven potential sites here, I don’t know the scope of work or the budget involved and the remedial costs of these sites here. But would the Minister respond by giving us some information on whether these have potential federal funding approvals to clean up these sites?
Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure exactly what stage they’re at. Through the committee that I had spoken of earlier, they do provide some advice and recommendation to Canada on their clean-up activities. What I can commit to the Member is that I will have some discussion with this particular committee and see where they are with their discussions with Canada and see if there’s been any kind of a price tag attached to the potential clean-up of the sites around Great Bear Lake.
I thank the Minister for that positive reply which I’m sure the general public in Deline or the other opportunities that created with other communities will be happy to hear that. Knowing the flexibility of the territorial government’s procurement process compared to the federal process, I ask the Minister if it’s all possible or is there negotiations underway to solicit through a transfer agreement with the remedial funds going to this government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure what the process is right now. If Canada has committed any money to the clean-up of these sites, if there is opportunities for, say the regional government to enter into some type of an arrangement with for the remediation of these sites, I would suggest that they would have to speak to Canada directly and through this, the committee here, the regional government in the Sahtu are represented on this committee, so they would have a general idea of where these sites are at and many of these sites are very old. Again, I will do what I can from my end to see if there has been any money that has been earmarked for remediation of these sites and I will share the information that I receive with Members across.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you to the Minister for the additional positive comments here. I look forward to receiving that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. I’ll take that as a comment from the Member. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today I spoke about the Department of Justice closing the law library and sources of public legal information in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to ask the Minister of Justice what kind of consultations were undertaken with the users of the library. Were lawyers, the Law Society, and legal advocates consulted in this? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker, at the time the budget was rolled, if I could put it that way, a letter was sent to the Law Society asking for their concerns or input. I can say that informally over the years I have consulted with my fellow practitioners and I took what they told me to Cabinet when we did discuss this very matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the department indicates that it will be replacing the library with a new research centre. Can the Minister give us more detail about what this research centre is going to be all about? Are we talking about a few surplus computers in a dimly-lit room or is this something more substantial? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the department is very focused on issues of access to justice and we’re looking at the feasibility of establishing a resource centre in the courthouse which would allow counsel, legal counsel, and the general public to access electronic materials and a limited number of hard-copy books.
Those are scant details but I’ll take the Minister for his word. Perhaps he can commit to giving a tour of this new research centre to MLAs. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister elaborate on what this interlibrary loan program will entail? Has the department spoken to a law library in Alberta? I’m somewhat troubled when I see the assistant deputy minister in the media saying, “a law library somewhere in Alberta.” Does the Minister know which law library that is?
Mr. Speaker, I’m not certain which law library was spoken to or are they are planning to speak to. I know that there’s two law schools in Alberta at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and the University of Calgary obviously in Calgary. I know little more than that. There will be communications with one or both of those libraries.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Mr. Speaker, it would appear the Minister doesn’t have a lot of these details readily available for Members of this House and for members of the public. I would strongly encourage that we resolve this with a real plan for what this research centre is going to look like and communicate this new resource to the public. In fact, when we’re looking for efficiencies perhaps we could find them, but how much money is this going to save in the end, Mr. Speaker? It seems like there’s still a lot of details, but how much money will closing the library save? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we’re anticipating this change will actually save a great deal of money. Last year, just to give the House some statistics, we spent $467,000 to operate the library. There were only 984 visitors to the library, so that works out to about $500 for each person, each visitor, to the library. Only 385 books were signed out, which would work out to about $1200 for each book signed out. Additionally, our statistics indicate that most of the users of the current library are the legal profession and only about one per cent of the users are the general public, but I’m glad to see the Member opposite is concerned about the one per cent.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure I can top that one. I have questions for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations regarding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. As I said in my statement, Minister McLeod co-chaired the inaugural Federal-Provincial-Territorial Indigenous Forum in Ottawa; he was chair of its Aboriginal Affairs Working Group. Can the Minister give us a report on the substance and outcome of that meeting and what future actions are planned towards compliance with the UN Declaration? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi. Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The June 10th meeting of Ministers and leaders in Ottawa marked the first under the new Federal-Provincial-Territorial Indigenous Forum aimed at improving outcomes for Indigenous people throughout Canada and to advance the vital work of reconciliation. This new forum replaces the former Aboriginal Affairs Working Group and includes the federal government now as a full partner in working with provincial and territorial governments and the national Indigenous organizations. This meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the scope of the new forum and to identify priorities, including the collaborative means for moving these priorities forward. Our discussions covered a number of important issues, including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action, the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, youth engagement, and child and family services. These areas were discussed as priorities that the new forum can and should provide leadership on. Mr. Speaker, in addition, there was agreement to a number of areas for collaboration, including continuing to support the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls; moving forward with efforts started within the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group to develop a socio-economic action plan for Indigenous women and girls; and sharing best practices that have led to measurable results. What is very clear from the discussions is that Ministers and leaders are committed to working in partnership to address the issues that are important to Indigenous peoples in Canada.
It’s great to get the report in the House on the meeting that the Premier attended last week. Earlier today, though, I pointed out this Article 19 in the declaration and it reads as follows: “Consult and cooperate in good faith with Indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent before adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.” That single article creates immense new responsibilities. I’d like to ask the Premier how GNWT intends to comply with Article 19 of the declaration.
Canada has stated that it will engage with Indigenous groups on how to implement the principles of the declaration and that this work will include the provinces and territories. It is expected that the Government of the Northwest Territories and Canada, along with other jurisdictions, will engage in a clearer understanding of the meaning and implications of Canada’s recent full endorsement of United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and this will require further dollars as it stands now. However, Canada appears to be saying that they fully endorse the UN Declaration, but applied in Canada our constitutional framework already allows for the implementation of the principle of free, prior and informed consent. Unlike the previous government they have left unstated that this also means that our constitutional framework does not guarantee a veto. Consequently, much more work will be required with the federal government so that we understand fully the legal background that they use for making their statements at the United Nations.
I appreciate the response from the Premier, but my question was really not so much how we’re going to work with the federal and provincial governments but what are we going to do as a government. I’ll just give one example here. Can the Premier tell this House how GNWT will obtain free, prior, and informed consent from indigenous governments in developing and implementing new resource management legislation?
As I said, the Government of Canada’s recent adoption of the United Nations declaration in accordance with Canada’s laws and Constitution is a very encouraging and tangible demonstration of the federal government’s renewed commitment to Canada’s Aboriginal people. The Government of the Northwest Territories will continue to work with the federal government and Aboriginal governments to further the promotion and protection of Aboriginal and treaty rights. The successful conclusion of modern treaties and self-government agreements can be seen as the ultimate expression of free, prior, and informed consent among partners.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
I appreciate the Premier’s response on how we’re going to work together with the federal and provincial governments, but he still hasn’t answered my question about what this government is going to do to help implement this declaration. We’re one of the first sub-national governments that actually endorsed this back in 2008, so what is our government going to do to help implement this legislation, and can he commit to report back to the House, and this side of the House, how we intend to do that?
We are a part of Canada. We have endorsed the United Nations declaration. The Government of Canada has stated that they will approve it without qualifications and we will work with them to make sure that we are all dovetailed together in fulfilling the commitments made under the United Nations declaration.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my statement today, I have some questions for the Minister of ITI. In 2013 the government released the Economic Opportunity Strategy. It recommended the development of an oil and gas strategy. That was three years ago. Where are we with this? When can we expect this strategy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Much work has been done on the oil and gas strategy in the latter stage of the 17th Legislative Assembly, including the release of the public engagement report “Pathways to Petroleum Development.” The strategy was recently identified as a mandate priority for the 18th Legislative Assembly. The resource sector is the single-largest contributor to the Northwest Territories’ economy. Our territory has world-class oil and natural gas reserves and has had an active petroleum industry for a century. The draft strategy is being reviewed and edited by a Government of Northwest Territories interdepartmental working group. Following this, the draft strategy will be released for input from Aboriginal governments, regulators, industry, and online for public comment. Changes will be made based on comments received to finalize the strategy which is planned to be publicly released in 2017.
2017, we’re still a year away. A lot of analysts believe oil is rebounding at a much quicker rate than expected. I know some good policy people with a lot of experience in Hay River who might be able to help the department get this done a little bit quicker. Earlier I also mentioned some of the challenges we’re facing attracting investment. What does the Minister see as our biggest challenge and what’s the department doing about it?
In my opinion the lack of infrastructure is the biggest constraint on attracting investment in the Northwest Territories as well as the low commodity prices and the very high cost of operating in the Northwest Territories. Construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway would reduce exploration and developments costs along the corridor by as much as 40 per cent. The 2015 Review Report of the Canada Transportation Act estimated a leverage factor of 80 for the Mackenzie Valley Highway, which means that for every $1 of federal and Northwest Territories’ investment in the Mackenzie Valley Highway the economic benefits related to increased resource development will be $80. Transportation and infrastructure is not only needed for equipment, people, supplies, food and energy but also for data to facilitate communication research. The Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line is also being constructed up to Inuvik and will enable expansion of the Inuvik satellite station facility as well as provide high-speed Internet and telecommunication services to the Beaufort Delta. We have opportunity to responsibly develop, produce and export our petroleum resources to global markets to create high-paying jobs, lucrative contracts for our businesses and tax and royalty revenues for the Northwest Territories, Aboriginal, and federal governments. I too am encouraged by the fact that the price of oil is increasing.
Thank you for that answer. I also understand that the regulations pursuant to the Oil and Gas Operations Act and the Petroleum Resources Act are being reviewed. How is this process being undertaken? Who is being consulted in this?
We cannot deny that we sit in the down cycle of the commodity markets right now. This is something we have seen before. Commodity markets rise, they fall, they recover. It’s a natural flow of the markets. As we sit in this downturn, our government is hard at work ensuring our jurisdiction will be ready to capitalize on the next peak in commodities. ITI has started work reviewing the Oil and Gas Operations Act and the Petroleum Resources Act, regulations pursuant to those acts, and associated policies. Policy intent discussion papers are being developed which will introduce potential changes. These papers will be shared with Aboriginal governments, regulators, industry and the public to provide an opportunity for input on the potential changes the Government of the Northwest Territories is considering, as well as petroleum-related policy issues that stakeholders and Aboriginal governments might wish to raise. Legislative and regulatory drafting will be done by the Department of Justice and follow the legislative and gazetting process.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We discussed infrastructure, regulation. Research is another big component of this. We need the research so we know the areas to focus on and help industry out. Is the government doing anything on the research front? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, research is a key component of a strong future for any resource economy. ITI’s new NWT geological survey division helps to fill this need and provides publicly available geoscience information that is used to stimulate mineral and petroleum exploration and investment, understand environmental change, assess mineral and petroleum resource potential, and assist in infrastructure projects and use decisions. Current projects focus on topics such as diamond exploration in the Slave Geological Province, mineral potential of the Mackenzie Mountains, permafrost melting and associated landscape and water quality change. They also administer the Mining Incentive Program. The NWT geological survey division also recently participated in unconventional petroleum resource assessment for the Canol and Bluefish Shale Oil Play and the Liard Sedimentary Basin. In the Canol/Bluefish Shell Play they identified the potential of 200 billion barrels of oil, and in the Liard Sedimentary Basin 137 trillion cubic feet of which 44 trillion would be in the Northwest Territories. These are both world-class oil and gas plays. These assessments are preliminary but indicate significant petroleum potential in both locations.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I travelled back home this past week and drove back home, I couldn’t help but notice, you know, the amount of dust on our Dempster Highway. Mr. Speaker, usually about this time the department starts preparing to put down calcium on the roads and you know have dust control, Mr. Speaker. Many times it gets very dangerous on the highway especially when you’re passing tractor trailers or equipment like this. Mr. Speaker, I’d just like to ask the Minister of Transportation, when will the crews start putting calcium down on the Dempster Highway? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Transportation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member is well aware, I guess this time of year is our routine maintenance and the crews are getting out there and doing all the routine stuff that’s done in the springtime from culvert thawing to, you know, straightening the signs and other stuff. I suspect that the department will be doing the application of calcium in the short order that is coming up here. You know road safety is the number one importance to us, so I can double check on that and get back to the Member exactly when it will be. Just putting that out. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, you know talking to a number of equipment operators, you know, especially when they first starting putting this application down, you know, when the calcium is laid down it’s always best to grade the road at the same time that way it soaks right into the road ‘because if you just lay it over the top, you know once we get a large amount of rain it usually runs off. Will the Minister ensure that when the crews do work on the highway that that is practiced? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’ll have to check with the department if that’s exactly how we apply this and grade the roads at the same time, but if that is the case we will ensure that’s how it’s done.
