Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask questions about the recent report of the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development on Financial Insurances for Environmental Concerns. The commissioner reviewed Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Development Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, and others, and reviewed their protection of public finances. Unfortunately, they found major shortcomings. Costs have now accelerated to over $8 billion of public liability. That’s taxpayer dollars.
The number one factor was intra-northern resource development projects. We’re standing to inherit this very soon. The NWT alone likely has almost a billion dollars in liabilities right now that the federal government is working on.
Given the modest, I think it’s about $64 million for operations that have been negotiated for a land and environmental management regime, the clear shortcomings of the federal government as identified by the commissioner, and the likely unaffordability of the GNWT in light of such costs – I mean, those are 10 times what we expect to have for operations, 10 to 15 years’ worth of the net fiscal benefit we’re expecting – how is this being addressed in devolution negotiations?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The report was just released yesterday. From the accounts that I’ve read, most of the references were to other provinces or territories. The commissioner referred to mines in Nunavut and Labrador.
I should point out that we’re still negotiating the terms of devolution arrangements. Those considerations will be taken into account as we finalize the agreement.
The Northwest Territories is showing the way in terms of environmental protection with our mines. The three diamond mines have modern environmental agreements which had to put up the highest amount and levels of security for cleanup of the mines once they shut down. Certainly the Member is correct, as a smaller jurisdiction, when we achieve devolution, we’re going to pay a lot more attention to the inspections of mines because we have to make sure that we protect our interests.
The Premier is actually incorrect there. In fact, the report refers to the Northwest Territories extensively. We, of course, have some of the most globally featured dire environmental disasters from our mines currently ongoing. The report says that in 2011, 70 percent of site inspections required under operating permits were not done in the Northwest Territories, in fact. This is obviously of great concern and leaves these projects that are developing disasters that we know nothing about as we stand to inherit them. Uninspected and unregulated, we have no idea if these current operations aren’t contaminated sites in the making.
Will this government require that the federal government put that house in order, do its inspections, update the security amounts, and ensure security is trustworthy – all of which were identified as concerns by the commissioner – before we accept the transfer of responsibility for abandoned and operating sites?
If the Member wants to point fingers, I’d say he’s incorrect with regard to inspections of the diamond mines in the Northwest Territories. All three of the mines have environmental monitoring agencies that are tasked specifically to make sure the mines are operated in an environmental way so that all the environment is protected. Those environmental monitoring arrangements have been in place for over 10 years.
The Premier again avoided the question and did not answer the question. The facts are clear that 70 percent of the inspections in the Northwest Territories, the commissioner has said, were not done in 2011 when our diamond mines were operating. All I can do is quote the commissioner.
My last question is: Additional issues were identified such as security shortfalls, lack of good and timely environmental information to our management boards and our First Nations who have responsibilities for environmental review process, concerned about impacts on fisheries and oceans offshore and so on, at the same time we’re disassembling the environmental protection regime, so failure of the Government of Canada to address regulatory issues that have been identified repeatedly in reviews, including reviews that they’ve done. What is our strategy, and how will we protect our people financially and environmentally in taking over this faulty and diminished protection system?
As the Prime Minister indicated, the commissioner’s report is a useful piece of advice that will help guide future decision-making. That will follow through to the Northwest Territories once it’s devolved. The question becomes are we better off now than we are in the future. I’m saying that, with devolution, our government will have to pay much closer attention to all of these environmental requirements because we are a smaller jurisdiction and we have to make sure that our interests are protected.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
