Debates of October 21, 2004 (day 25)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I think about the Mackenzie Valley pipeline it raises a number of concerns for me; primary concerns such as what it will do to benefit northerners. We should be asking these questions for a long time. We had been, is the way I see it. At this time, I think we should know some of the answers before we break ground. Our return to the Mackenzie Valley pipeline for the Northwest Territories without a resource revenue sharing agreement is expected to be $900 million over the next 30 years compared to what the federal government’s share is, which is almost $22 billion.

Mr. Speaker, this adds insult to injury. The federal government also seeks to reduce our grant for taking our small piece of the pie from the pipeline revenue. Mr. Speaker, this is raping and pillaging of the NWT and this needs to stop now.

Hear! Hear!

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Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear, our milk is no longer free, so stop taking it, federal government.

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It’s time to marry the cow into a real agreement.

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Until the federal government gives the Northwest Territories our share of resource revenues, until they invest into our protected areas, the Northwest Territories isn’t prepared to risk our beautiful environment to become what one environmental group called us, “America’s gas tank.”

Hear! Hear!

The GNWT is investing so much money in the pipeline; we’re opening new offices, we’re hiring more people in the government, we’re doing assessment after assessment without really knowing what our return on the investment is going to be. If we took all the money that we have invested in the pipeline strategy and we put it into early childhood education or a stronger arts program or something better yet, such as youth, we’d be seeing real tangible results, Mr. Speaker. Real results. Mr. Speaker, as I see it, we are racing to build a pipeline, but unfortunately there is no race for the Americas that compels us to head first into an early childhood education program and that’s a real shame.

Mr. Speaker, I’m also concerned about the Alaskan pipeline, the way the United States Senate has passed legislation designed to jump start the construction of the pipeline down the Alaska Highway. This bill includes permitting approvals and loan guarantees worth nearly $18 billion U.S. Mr. Speaker, that’s $22 billion Canadian and to make my point even clearer, America is subsidizing their pipeline 24 times the amount…

Mr. Hawkins, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement? Thank you.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, honourable colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I’ll say again, this bill includes permitting approvals and loan guarantees worth nearly $18 billion U.S. That’s $22 billion Canadian, as I’ve said. To make that point, as I’ve stressed, clearly that’s 24 times what the GNWT will get over our life of this project. Mr. Speaker, that does not make any fiscal sense. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT should be working with the Americas about buying off and sitting still for 20 years because we’d be much further ahead making a side deal than trying to charge into this in competition with them.

Mr. Speaker, if the Alaska pipeline goes first, what happens to all our time, money and efforts that we’ve invested over the last many years? What happens while we wait for the next 20 to 30 years? I think that may be a waste without any type of certainty.

Mr. Speaker, I do want to support this pipeline, I truly do, because I see tangible benefits. All our northern peoples can gain from this. But from where I’m sitting, it looks like this territory is carrying all the risk and this hasn’t changed over the years. We need rock solid guarantees from our federal government that warrant our investment. We need a change of attitude from the federal government for us to truly get on board.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I look upon the United States as being a big giant, those Philistines of the Americas. Mr. Speaker, tell me our Premier is not our little David out there on the plains with an unloaded slingshot.

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Mr. Speaker, we need something concrete, not guarantees and promises where we take an empty leap of faith. Mr. Speaker, our shepherds better have a pouch full of concrete investment of smooth, solid rocks before we take on that giant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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