Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up from my statement with questions for the Premier today, and they’re related to the three examples I mentioned earlier of decision-making power being moved from public boards to behind the closed doors of GNWT. I do believe that our Cabinet and their advisors are competent, so they must be aware of this power shift.
The question is: Is this a deliberate power grab, or is it an unintended consequence of the rush to implement devolution?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I’m not surprised the Member is already condemning devolution before it even occurs. It’s a month and a half away, and also, I would think he would support the fact that we’re reducing about 5,000 miles of red tape. It’s just mirror legislation, and I’m not sure what he’s referring to when he’s talking about a power grab.
I hope the Premier is satisfied that we have devolution, that we’re talking about implementing it here, so I won’t bother to respond to that.
Intentional or not, this power shift away from public boards is happening.
Where did the Premier and Cabinet get the mandate to set things in motion this way? Did this Assembly ask them to shift power away from public boards? Did our Aboriginal partners ask them to shift power to behind the closed doors of GNWT?
The Member should be pleased that the MVRMA will continue as a public board. We are not taking it. They will still be making those decisions and putting forward recommendations. The responsible Ministers will be putting them into effect.
Thanks to the Premier. Most of the legislation that we will be bringing forward to implement is not even available to the public yet.
Are these few examples just the tip of the iceberg? Are there any other power shifts from the public boards to behind the closed doors of GNWT that we have not discovered yet?
As I said, the MVRMA, the board will be dealing with applications for development and so there is no power shift other than the fact that the responsible Ministers will change, and that’s part and parcel of mirror legislation.
Thank you Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, that’s not the way it was a few months ago. That was the recent change with the federal government and it seems like we’re choosing to emulate the federal government here. The Premier is on the record, probably hundreds of times, saying we want an efficient and effective regulatory system. I note that he rarely mentions a fair system or an objective system, but I will assume that he would agree that fairness and independence are key.
How does the Premier propose to reverse these power grabs and put land and water decision-making and resource management decision-making back in the realm of fair and independent public review boards?
I’m sure the Member will be pleased to hear that this is not a power grab. It’s moving decision-making to the North, and those most affected by activity will be making the decisions. That’s what this is all about and I’m pleased in my Minister’s statement I used those words exactly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
