Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Minister for the most recent remarks and follow up on his advice and ask the Premier if indeed this issue will be brought forcefully to the Prime Minister’s attention when he has the opportunity to meet with him this week.

I appreciate the Minister’s remarks. The recent Hill Times I think was the 8th of August item quotes a federal spokesman as saying that the department will ensure the department is spending its resources on priorities like improving air quality and cleaner water. Those are nice words. Our Minister of Environment, though modest in stature, clearly throws a big shadow. Will the Minister be holding the federal government to task if their gutting of the department doesn’t live up to this dialogue?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The recent news has been replete with stories detailing federal plans to cut 776 Environment Canada jobs and slash the department’s budget from $1.1 billion to $883 million by 2014. This was preceded by years of declining support for Environment Canada, and Minister Flaherty assures us this is just the beginning of the cuts. I’d like to ask the Minister of the Environment how these cuts will affect Environment Canada’s operations in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We should not be downloading an inadequate regulatory regime under the proposed Devolution Agreement-in-Principle. An April 13th Canadian Press Report indicates a loophole in environmental rules is allowing a growing number of unregulated waste incinerators to release extremely toxic chemicals into the land and water. Citing a federal report, CP says levels of highly carcinogenic dioxins and furans up to 10 times higher than those from an uncontaminated lake were detected near the Ekati mine. The reason? Air emissions from incinerators aren’t controlled due to...

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 9, Wildlife Act, and Committee Report 7-16(6), Report on the Review of Bill 9, Wildlife Act, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Does committee agree we not proceed with Bill 9?

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. Committee, we have before us two items: Bill 9 and Committee Report 7-16(6). What is the wish of committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s also my pleasure to introduce and recognize Martin Knutson, who is president of the NWT Wildlife Federation and also a director of the Canadian Wildlife Federation. I would also like to recognize Lee Mandeville, a resident of Weledeh and a fiddler extraordinaire, as everybody knows, and any other residents of Weledeh in the audience.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s comments again. I certainly hope that the 17th Assembly will be standing firm and be prepared to do that work. However, I understand the Prime Minister will be in town this week to demonstrate his devotion to northern interests and will be meeting with the Premier. Can the Minister assure me that our dismay at any erosion of Environment Canada monitoring programming in the NWT will be brought forcefully to the attention of the Prime Minister?

Thanks to the Minister. I noted in the Minister’s comments that NWT residents have a higher rate of addictions to nicotine than most jurisdictions and I think we’re all aware of that. I’m wondering what the consequences are of this to any future considerations of actions under this legislation. Are there consequences to being a much higher rate of addictions than in the provinces, for example?