Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since 1969 there have been ongoing sensitive issues of land management of the East Arm of the Great Slave Lake. The question is not what is better – a national park or protected area strategy – the question is, with new devolution authority, do we have the right management and northern tools in place to give all users equal rights and privileges in its consideration? My question today will be for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
In trying to come up with a made-in-the-North approach, can the Minister inform the House, what role has this administration played in negotiations with Ottawa and all stakeholders with respect to the East Arm land management? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the lead-up to devolution and following April 1st post-devolution, we have been very active on this particular file. We’ve been in contact with the Government of Canada and Cabinet has identified the issue of Thaidene Nene Park as a priority. We have passed on our concerns and interest to them that we are now the landowner, that we need time to get our thinking clear and that we want to work with the northern Aboriginal governments to get our thinking clear as part of that process and that we will be working with them, once we do that, to look at what will comprise of a federal park and a mix of other supporting complementary tools. Thank you.
I appreciate the Minister and the administration having that dialogue.
Can the Minister indicate to the House – as he indicated northern tools – what northern tools, if any, could be used to mitigate and administer this land being considered? Thank you.
I would point out, as well, that the federal government has indicated that they will step back and wait for the territorial government to conclude the work we need to do in the North, and then we will re-engage with them.
In regards to some potential options in terms of northern tools, there’s an actual territorial park, there’s conservation areas, wilderness areas, study areas, to name a number of opportunities that are there that we could possibly consider as we carry on with this process. Thank you.
Recognizing the entire area of the East Arm being unique and special to all people of the NWT, does the Minister see merit in creating a co-management board of representation of all various interests that would manage all aspects of use from industrial development to exploration, commercial, recreational leases, harvesting access and traditional use?
We agree that the East Arm and that part of the country where Thaidene Nene is focused is a jewel for that part of the country. It’s spectacularly beautiful country and we are interested in making sure we come up with a plan that keeps northern control to the greatest extent possible and that we do it in a way that recognizes some of the concerns and the aspirations of the people from Lutselk'e. We want to work with them and eventually the federal government to make sure that we get that mix right but, above all, to keep as much authority and land under northern control as possible.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Considering what we’ve just heard from the Minister that the federal government has paused further activity on this file, can the Minister conceive the possibility of a framework agreement or an MOU with all stakeholders on the land of the management of East Arm and could this be done during the life of this Assembly?
We have been paying intense attention to this file. We have compressed, in my opinion, about 18 months to two years of normal negotiation times into about six months as we’ve moved forward to try to advance this file to conclude as much of it as possible in the life of this government. We are hopeful that over the next couple of months that we will have a northern position, we will have work done on the actual footprint of the area and the mix of a potential federal park along with the combination of northern tools.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
