Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is regarding the NWT Health Status Chartbook.
Madam Speaker, in the fall of 2019, the government released the NWT Health Status Chartbook to provide a broad overview of the health status of the Northwest Territories population. As I noted in my Member's statement yesterday, the broad overview painted was not good. It has now been more than two years since the report was published. Can the Minister explain what steps have been taken to specifically address the poor health behaviours revealed in the report?
So this is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. So,
Is the Minister working with Indigenous governments, organizations, and the relevant health and social services authorities to specifically improve the health indicators documented in the report;
Can the Minister identify any successes that have been achieved in improving health outcomes as a result of collaboration with Indigenous government, organizations, and the relevant health and social services authorities;
Can the Minister indicate when the NWT Health Status Chartbook will next be updated;
Can the Minister advise what specific initiatives are being undertaken in each regions of the Northwest Territories to address the poor health outcomes document in the report?
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Northwest Territories Housing Corporation Mission, Values, and Vision. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Tabling of documents. Minister for Justice.
Madam Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: 31st Annual Report 20192020 Victims Assistance Committee of the NWT; and 32nd Annual Report 20202021 Victims Assistance Committee of the NWT. Thank you.
Thank you. Tabling of documents. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I wish to table a document entitled "Mind and Spirit: Promoting Mental Health and Addictions Recovery in the Northwest Territories Child and Youth Mental Wellness Action plan 2017 2022". Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Tabling of documents. Member for Monfwi.
Madam Speaker, I wish to table a collection of photos of a home in Whati. Thank you.
Thank you, Madame la Presidente. I give notice that on Monday, February 28th, 2022, I will move the following motion:
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that the Minister's statement 29219(2): Annual Status Report on the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories 20192023; and Tabled Document 56719(2): Annual Status Report 20192023 Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, February 2021January 2022, be referred to Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Notices of motion. Motions. Notice of motion for the first reading of bills. First reading of bills. Second reading of bills. Consideration in Committee of the Whole on bills and other matters, Bill 23 An Act to Amend the Public Utilities Act; Bill 29 Resource Royalty Information Disclosure Statute Amendment Act; Bill 38 Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act 2021; Tabled Document 56119(2): 20222023 Main estimates, with Member from Deh Cho in the chair.
I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. We will take a short recess and resume with ENR. Mahsi.
I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Committee would like to consider Tabled Document 56119(2): Main estimates 20222023, with Environment and Natural Resources and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. We will take a short recess and resume with ENR. Take a break. Mahsi.
SHORT RECESS
I call the meeting to order. We are still dealing with ENR. I'll ask the Minister if he's got any witnesses to bring into the House.
Yes, I do, sir.
SergeantatArms, can you please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Mahsi.
Would the Minister please introduce his witnesses. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, on the far right is deputy minister Erin Kelly and closest to me is Jessica St. Arnaud, the director of finance. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Committee, we were finished forest management yesterday. So today we're starting with water management and monitoring beginning on page 87, with information item on page 90. And I open it up for questions. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. So this is the section of the ENR budget where transboundary waters matters are found, and I just have one question, to start with, about page 89. There's these contributions. It shows transboundary waters as a line item there back in 20202021. It was $414,000, and now it's being become proposed at 185. Can I just get an explanation as to what happened in that previous year. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
For that detail I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Ms. Kelly
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The amounts are dependent on the work that's being done at that time. So in 2021, there were research partnerships with academic institutions, more of them, that were supporting transboundary agreement implementation versus contracts with consultants. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Mr. O'Reilly.
Yeah, okay, thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks for that information. I'd mentioned the last couple of days one of the big areas of concern for myself and I'm hearing from others is this proposed tailings, oil sands or tar sands tailings discharge regulations development, and I understand that we've wanted to try to get some better engagement and involvement with oil sands monitoring. There's a body called the oil sands monitoring program oversight committee, and then there's some technical advisory committees that I guess work with that committee as well. And as I understand it, we had GNWT wanted to get some involvement in that committee so that we could perhaps even get better prepared for potential discharges. So I'd like to ask the Minister whether he has indeed written to the Government of Alberta requesting membership on these committees and what the response has been from the provincial government. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Member for this question. Yeah, we did write a letter to Minister Nickerson, I believe is correct. And then just recently I received a response from Minister Nickerson that Alberta is not supportive of providing a seat to the GNWT on the oil sands monitoring program oversight committee and the technical advisory committee. We are very disappointed that Alberta is not supporting our request as this committee has made decisions about monitoring at sites identified in AlbertaNWT bilateral water management agreement. Minister Nickerson has made commitments in his response to our request to increase senior level communications, scheduled more frequent meetings, and updates between the Government of Alberta and the NWT. He also advised Alberta's commitment to share information to address the GNWT concerns and interests related to the oil sands development in their proposal to develop regulations that allow for release of that treated tailing water to the Athabasca River. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks to the Minister for that. Let's just say I'm a little bit more than surprised that the provincial government would deny a request to sit on this committee. This is, I guess, one of the committees too that had some oversight on the monitoring upstream that Alberta unilaterally decided to stop as part of its industry relief around COVID. So what reasons were provided by the provincial government to deny membership or not support GNWT's membership on this committee? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Minister.
Thanks. For that detail, I'll ask the deputy minister. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The position of Alberta is that that monitoring committee is for the companies, the oil sands companies, the Indigenous governments, the Government of Alberta, and the Government of Canada, and that they have a responsibility to us through the transboundary agreement and they'd like to continue and enhance the relationship that we have through the transboundary agreement rather than have us be sitting on that particular board body, pardon me. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Mr. O'Reilly.
Yeah, thanks, Mr. Chair, and I thank the deputy minister for that. Well, with all due respect, how can you part of a transboundary agreement when the provincial government upstream won't even share information; won't even allow you to be at the table when monitoring is being discussed? This is totally unacceptable. I would like to know from the Minister what the position of the federal government is on our request to sit on this committee?
Mahsi, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you. So we have written a letter to the federal minister but we haven't received a formal response from Canada on our request and we continue to engage with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada on our request as both the Government of Canada and Alberta cochair the oil sands monitoring program oversight committee. So we have been reaching out to Minister Gibeault on this very topic. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks to the Minister for that. I guess I'd like to seek a commitment from the Minister that he's going to provide an update in this House before the end of this sitting as to what's going on with this matter. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
