Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has come to our attention that the amendments to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act concludes the consultative process tomorrow, which again shows the lack of respect for the Aboriginal claimant groups in the Northwest Territories for the land claims and the people of the Northwest Territories to have the decision-making process in the Northwest Territories for the people of the Northwest Territories, and simply leaving the decision-making process up to the governments, whether it’s the federal government or a panel of so-called specialists. We’ve been talking about the McCrank Report or talking about the reports done previously.
I think it’s important for this government to declare where we stand on the list of outstanding issues and the items that were being discussed between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the federal government about Indian and Northern Affairs. What exactly was the list of items? How will those items affect the regulatory system in the Northwest Territories and those groups that do have land claims?
The Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act came into force and effect to ensure that we implemented those land claim obligations into a regulatory system that meets their requirements, and ensure that the Tlicho Government and their land claim agreements are also enacted.
I think it’s important for the Government of the Northwest Territories to come clean and say where exactly we stand as a government when it comes to making those major revisions to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act in regard to the regulatory system in the Northwest Territories. Do we support regional boards or don’t we? Do we want to have one system of regulation in the Northwest Territories by a centralized board? Do we accept the land use planning provisions that are in those arrangements? Do we allow for the environmental assessment to have an independent process so that it’s independent from government, it’s independent from industry, and it does give us the decisions that are there for the benefit of the public, the people of the Northwest Territories and communities?
At the appropriate time I will ask questions of the Minister of Environment on where this government stands when it comes to the changes to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
