Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. I wish to table the following three documents entitled: Royalties Paid to GNWT from the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act Reports versus Royalties Received from the GNWT Public Accounts 2016-2021; and, Redacted Summaries of the Meetings of the GNWT-NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines COVID-19 Recovery Working Group 2020-2021; and, last one, Mr. Speaker, Observations on the Redacted Summaries of the Meetings of the GNWT-NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines COVID-19 Recovery Working Group. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Minister for that. I'll just remind him again that the road is opening tomorrow. So it's great that there's meetings happening but the road opens tomorrow.

I fully understand that inland fisheries are federal jurisdiction but we obviously have a role to play. The sellers of sport fishing licenses, promotion of country food, harvesting and sustainable livelihoods. And the Minister also has a fish a wildlife and fish division under his department. So what, if anything, has the Minister done about the impacts of the new road access on the sport fishery...

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are about this government's lack of preparedness around the opening of the Tlicho AllSeason Road. I'll mainly focus on the environmental side for now. So my questions are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

The legally binding measures from an environmental assessment project have not been completed, especially when it comes to the impact on woodland caribou. Can the Minister tell us how this will affect the proposed opening date of the road scheduled for tomorrow? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

I was scrambling looking for the motion about how to finish off the item we are on, but I think I have to move that the chair rise and report progress.

CHAIRPERSON (Ms. Semmler): Thank you. There's a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and nondebatable. All those in favour. Opposed. Motion is carried.

I will now rise and report progress.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I guess I will take it one step back. Does this government actually support the concept of participant funding in general for environmental assessment, and I'm hoping the Minister's actually going to say, yes. Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I don't fault the Minister in wanting to follow due process, but of course the Bathurst caribou herd is at a critically low point but our government continues to steamroll ahead with plans for an allweather road that would inevitably cause irreversible harm to the Bathurst herd.

So can the Minister tell us whether or government is prepared to stop or pause the work on the Slave Geological Corridor until a regional study is completed. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I think that the analysis of what contribution critical minerals can play in the climate crisis is essential before we head down a path of providing incentives, subsidies, or concessions. Can the Minister tell us whether there's been a thorough analysis of any subsidies or concessions for critical mineral development now or when and how that work will be carried out? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. The Minister's kind of anticipated my next question which although I specifically asked about a workshop report, not a "what we heard" report but I'll leave that to her. I can confirm that it was an interesting event but the participants came from a fairly narrow range of interests and perspectives. Can the Minister tell us what the next steps are in developing a Northwest Territories critical minerals action plan and how the public will be engaged. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Critical minerals are essential components of many new technologies, from lowgreenhouse gas energy sources to electric vehicles to advances in sectors such as medicines, electronics, aerospace and defence. Canada and the NWT possess reserves of critical minerals.

I participated in a critical minerals workshop held by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment on November 9, 2021. This was a virtual workshop with about 60 participants, most of whom were GNWT employees or mining industry representatives. No civil society organizations appear to have been...

Thanks, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 43719(2), Capital Estimates 20222023, and we'd like to consider the Department of Health and Social Services and Municipal and Community Affairs. Thanks, Madam Chair.