Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s a big emphasis on the need for economic development in our territory from this 17th Assembly government. I recognize the need for it, but our approach is somewhat flawed, especially around the issue of fracking.
This is a very controversial topic and a very confusing one. The average NWT resident hears either no info or too much info, and what they do hear is often contradictory. On the one hand, the message is fracking is all good, it’s safe, and we should allow the practice. On the other hand, the message is that it is a practice fraught with dangers and unknowns and we should ban it.
It’s generally accepted that development of any kind has an impact on the environment. The question is: How much of an impact? In the case of fracking we have yet to determine that impact and it’s imperative that we know. We need to enter into a process similar to that of the Yukon. Theirs was a special committee of the legislature which spent a year or more investigating the risks and benefits of fracking. We need what they just finished doing, a comprehensive, consultative action that looks at both sides of the fracking puzzle, the pro and the con.
There’s fear associated with fracking because of the unknowns and the potential risks. Our residents have expressed their fears through petitions, calls for a moratorium or an outright ban on the process, and calls for consultation and investigation. Others, including our own Minister of ITI, dismiss the fears and concerns and suggest they are ill-founded. But what are the risks? We don’t know at this point, and we should know in order to make informed decisions about whether to frack or not.
I don’t know if I should believe the critics or the proponents of the fracking process. Why don’t I know? Because I don’t know the risks and/or the benefits. I don’t have the knowledge to make an informed decision. I believe we’re lucky right now because there’s a bit of a break in fracking activity. It’s a perfect opportunity to do the necessary research, investigation and consultation, to explore the potential impacts of fracking for the NWT, to do the work, get the knowledge and arm ourselves with information in order to make a good decision.
Our residents want to be part of the decision, but they need knowledge to do that, and at the moment they do not have it. This government, this Assembly must establish something akin to the Yukon model to investigate the risks and benefits of fracking. The government regularly states that it respects the land and the environment and that it’s committed to doing the best for our territory. If the words are heartfelt and honest, our land deserves no less than an exhaustive look at what fracking may or may not do to our territory.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Hawkins.
