Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been reviewing the proposal for the Mactung Mine to determine what level of involvement it will require. What is the status of this review work? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Work is currently underway with other departments to assess how best to move forward about the concerns that have been raised with this proposed development on the Yukon side of the border as it may affect the Northwest Territories with wildlife, water and the environment. So the work is underway. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister has said it may affect that. I believe that it will affect the wildlife on our side of the border. I want to ask the Minister, in terms of submitting comments to the proposed project to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board, when will the Minister submit his comments to that board?
We are working for the deadline that has been laid out in November. We will be trying to comply and get our comments in by that time. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, will these comments relate to the Sahtu people and to the agreements for the proposed park that is within one kilometre of the mine site?
We are going to work closely recognizing the impacts are going to be felt in the Sahtu and the need to be coordinated within the government, be able to make sure that we are looking at things like the Mackenzie for River Basin Trans-Boundary Water Agreement and the bilateral that currently exists between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories as well as what role MVEIRB may play as we try to raise the issues to protect our interests in this proposed project.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Speaker, would the Minister be working with the Sahtu people through the various meetings between now and the deadline for submission to the Yukon Environmental Assessment Board? Would the Minister work closely with the Sahtu people?
We will be working in a collaborative fashion, as we do in many circumstances like with the caribou and other related issues to water, to make sure that we coordinate our efforts, that while we put forward the GNWT position, it is in conjunction with the collaboration with the people of the Sahtu and the aboriginal governments so that we have as coordinated a response as possible. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
