Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first set of questions is for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
So I understand that currently underway there's collaboration with Indigenous governments, the GNWT, and the federal government in the design and development of the regional study for the Slave Geological Province. Will there be opportunities for public participation in the design of the regional study, such as the development of terms of reference? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for the question. On February of 2023, the federal Minister of northern affairs accepted the Tlicho government's request to conduct a regional strategic environmental assessment in the South Slave Geological Province. This study is being led by the Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada under part 5.2 of the federal Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. A regional strategic environmental assessment is anticipated to offer opportunities for meaningful Indigenous and public engagement with participant funding provided by the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to push a bit more on that one because the Minister mentioned that there will be participant funding once the study gets underway, but my question is will there be any public participation in designing the terms of reference of the study? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the study and the whole process is led by the federal government so that's not a question I can answer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wonder if the Minister can explain the value that his department sees in doing cumulative impact assessments, so in this case a regional strategic environmental assessment, before individual applications are considered by a piecemeal environmental assessment, so the value in doing cumulative impact assessment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's value in sharing information collected or gathered by the coordinated project corridor project and/or regional study for these two initiatives as they advance. We're in the early stages of developing the terms of reference for the regional study, and the timeline for the study has not yet been finalized. The advantage specifically here is for the participants to, you know, work together in ensuring that all of the information is shared with everyone that needs to know. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wonder what the Minister can commit to do in having his department work with the Department of Infrastructure to understand the value of the regional strategic environmental assessment as preparations are made for the SGP Road Project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ensuring that we are sharing the information that comes out of these studies as we move forward collectively, gathering information is certainly important. I think it's a big part of ensuring that the projects are moving together collaboratively. And in the early stages of developing the terms of reference, we want to ensure that the timelines for the study are accurate. And to specifically questions related to the criteria and the timeline for the regional study, we oh, sorry, the GNWT is not my apologies, Mr. Speaker, could I ask the Member to repeat the question, please.
Member from Yellowknife North, please rephrase your question.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So this is a question of cumulative impact assessment that looks at the whole region in a holistic way, and then we have a road project that this government is leading that, if it pushes ahead, will have to have a specific environmental assessment done for it but there's value in seeing a holistic regional assessment to understand the broader impacts before going ahead with the road project. So what I was getting at was given that the Department of Environment and Climate Change includes many staff working on cumulative impact assessment, what can the department do to work with the Department of Infrastructure to understand the value of that work as they plan the road project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. I think the key to success here is that the departments all work together and look at it from a wholeofgovernment approach in how we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Tu NedheWiilideh.
