Louis Sebert

The department does not issue land use permits in the Mackenzie Valley; that is, of course, the responsibility of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board. I understand the department has provided assistance in the past to the band to assist with the necessary paperwork, and we would certainly be hoping to do so again, to provide that assistance so that the permitting process can be properly followed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This issue has been managed from the beginning by the regional office in Fort Simpson and the support from headquarters. The Member opposite will know that I was in the community in April and again in July and listened to concerns raised. I certainly heard the concerns of the chief and the SAO. I made no comment or made no negotiation with respect to this matter, which would been inappropriate, as the matter was before the court. Again, I think the matter has been dealt with by legal counsel on both sides.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands takes its responsibility to administer and manage public lands in the Northwest Territories seriously. That is why, over the summer, the department engaged with Indigenous governments, stakeholders, and the public on potential changes to the Northwest Territories Lands Act and the Commissioner’s Land Act. This input will, for the first time, allow for a made-in-the-North approach to managing land in the Northwest Territories.

Since devolution, administration of public lands in the Northwest Territories has fallen under two separate acts: the Northwest...

The Department of Infrastructure is working with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to identify gaps in knowledge and opportunities with respect to caribou population along the proposed corridor, so it's not as though we are in any way ignoring this very important issue; and I realize that this is a complex issue.

I want to repeat, however, that we are concerned about the issue of this caribou herd and that any of our planning will take into account the grave concerns that we've heard about the diminution of the numbers of this caribou herd that travels between Nunavut and...

The government supports the Government of Nunavut and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association's recommendation that further environmental review of the project would be valuable, and recommends that the federal government provide participant funding for any such review.

The Government of Nunavut and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association are, of course, the proponents. The GNWT recognizes the potential transboundary economic benefits associated with infrastructure corridors such as the Grays Bay road and port and supports strategic infrastructure developments such as this project.

We heard earlier today that...

Mr. Speaker, it is our intention that all leaseholders will be treated fairly. I think it's important to realize that not all of these equity leases are identical, so it's going to require a lot of work to go through them one by one, but as I mentioned at the outset we are intending to resolve this matter by treating leaseholders fairly and properly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly, initially what we'll have to do is determine how we are going to be proceeding with the resolution of the equity lease problem. We're hoping to have an overall comprehensive plan that will resolve this very difficult issue. We are going through the process right now and any positions conditionally approved through the forced growth or initiative process will be defended through committee reviews of the 2018-2019 business plans in November and defended through the main estimates process. The first step really in this procedure will be to determine where we're going with this very...

Mr. Speaker, our residents have demonstrated that cannabis is an important issue for them. Since I last spoke of the legalization of cannabis in May, our government has been hard at work undertaking an extensive engagement program with the public and stakeholders to make sure we understand the views of Northerners.

Our engagement, which formally began in July, has included public meetings in regional centres and select small communities. Seven public meetings have been held to date, with two more scheduled for today and tomorrow in Hay River and Behchoko. An online survey has also been made...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following five documents entitled "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 750-18(2): Policing in Tsiigehtchic," "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 764-18(2) and 767-18(2): Sexual Assault Complaints Classified as Unfounded," Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 775-18(2): Auditor General's Report on Correction Services," "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 776-18(2): Dedicated Space to Support Victims of Sexual Violence," and "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 799-18(2): Territorial Cannabis Legislation and Regulation." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Government of the Northwest Territories believes that Northerners should make decisions that affect Northerners and that the Nunavut Impact Review Board is fully capable of assessing the impacts of this project. We are satisfied that the board has fully considered NWT concerns in previous Part 5 reviews. I think it is under their legislation. We are confident that this project will be fully considered by the Nunavut board, and therefore we are not seeking intervention by the federal government.