Bob Bromley

We are on page 25. Clauses 31 to 40.

---Clauses 31 through 40 inclusive approved

Given that this government is also in a position of conflict as both regulator and proponent, as the Minister has mentioned, and the fact that we’ve got $27 million buried into this project, we need to take the high road.

Will the Minister commit to taking that high road and bringing independent oversight, as we would require for any other project that we are not both regulator and proponent on? An obvious conflict of interest.

Is committee agreed that we can bring witnesses in?

Clauses 11 to 20.

---Clauses 11 through 20 inclusive approved

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Next I’d like to call on Mr. Beaulieu, chairman of the Standing Committee on Social Programs, for any remarks on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I mentioned earlier today that we’ve had a string of bad news, mostly from the media, on the series of new crises at the Giant Mine site. The public has been the last to know, or perhaps the second last as I haven’t been seeing any information updating Members on the status and problems of this project. As both a fellow proponent and regulator, can the Minister say if the federal Northern Affairs department has been keeping his office updated on these developments?

Thank you, committee. We’ll go to a clause-by-clause review of the bill. If committee agrees, we’ll go in groups of 10. There are quite a number of clauses in the bill. Committee agree?

I appreciate that commitment again from our Minister. Of course, that was just an example, the east side of Prosperous. It’s within the entire watershed. MACA is moving the Recreational Leasing Policy Framework forward proficiently and says public consultations will begin shortly. Can the Minister inform us of the schedule for consultations and give his assurance that the opportunity for input will be widely publicized so that non-resident users of the area will know they can’t contribute? Obviously, we have cottage owners that live throughout the city.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This morning I received an excellent briefing from officials of Municipal and Community Affairs updating the work being done on the Recreational Leasing Policy Framework in the Yellowknife block land transfer area. Control of squatting and protection of the watershed of the Yellowknife drinking water supply are major issues for my constituents. Here again the biggest obstacle, though, is how to get comprehensive action in the negligent federal government on this issue.

The GNWT can hardly control squatting or protect our waters when the federal government does nothing on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every day this government loses revenue due to its failure to collect reasonable resource rents.

We have a bill before this Assembly for the creation of an NWT Heritage Fund to put aside funds from existing revenue for the future. The steps to devolution are started; actual implementation is years into the future.

The promise of additional resource revenues is a big part of that agreement’s allure to this government. But why wait to get a fair return from our natural capital? Various commentators have emphasized that the economic rent we are collecting now is much too...