Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Madam Chair. It’s part of our share of the cost-sharing arrangement, which is 70/30. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we are looking at the Canadian Water Quality Guidelines as guidelines that have been developed probably across Canada. It gives guidance and sets standards to be followed by various jurisdictions. We also, when it comes to water in the communities, it has to, of course, meet all of the standards for the health of people, so it is considered potable and meets all of those various tests as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think we’re back to the horns of a dilemma where we’re being asked to answer questions that we can only answer once we’ve done the work. The detailed questions about permafrost, geotechnical work. The cost-benefit analysis has not been completed and you have our full commitment. We the government and the Minister have disclosed all of the information we have available and trying to make the case to justify getting the funds to in fact do the work to answer those very questions that the Member has raised so vigorously in the House here. Thank you.

Yes, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members of this House and the people of the Northwest Territories have made it clear that we need to complete a new Wildlife Act.

We need legislation that incorporates the most current tools for wildlife management. This is vital to conserving our wildlife populations for current and future generations.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has developed a process to address outstanding issues and to revise the proposed new legislation accordingly.

We are proposing to use Bill 9, introduced in the 16th Legislative Assembly, as a starting point for...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have listened to the concerns by Mr. Bromley. It is very similar to the concerns of his colleague Ms. Bisaro. The one thing that strikes me is that if we were sitting in Yellowknife and it had no road south and we were debating the merits and benefit of a road connection, we would be having an entirely different debate or the debate would be ones where we would be playing different roles. So I think we have to keep in mind that there are all of these benefits that are going to come when you build roads. Diefenbaker had it right on the money: roads to resources to...

We have a working arrangement, a very close relationship with the co-management boards in the Sahtu as well. So as we look at the health of the herds and if there are any decisions made to change or adjust the harvesting, that will be done through that due process with ENR involved. There is a clear ranking system where Aboriginal subsistence harvest is protected and that is, as in the case of the banned area, the last one to be impacted. As you work your way up from the commercial harvest outfitters, resident hunters up to the Aboriginal harvest and that is the process, and there’s been no...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s gratifying to know that the Member supports the project; otherwise she could have some really tough questions. We’re caught on the horns of a dilemma here. The Member has rattled off a whole list of questions that have to be answered. We’re saying we need the money to answer those questions so we can make an informed decision. It is unfair, it would seem to me, to dam the project, but let’s not put the information on the table so that we can make the decision to see if, in fact, it is a viable project, we can afford it and it fits into all our other strategic...

It is in fact about 1,300 days that we have left in the life of this Assembly. We should be able to have some document that lays out some potential options within the next couple of months. As we go forward, either I or Minister of Human Resources will be able to probably speak about what has happened in the past and what are some of the possibilities, if we want to consider this going forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We appreciate the Member’s support. Just to reassure the Member, speaking to the borrowing limit and any additional strategic infrastructure investments, we will be coming back to this House with borrowing limit information in the plan. Clearly we have an obligation as government to make sure that whatever strategic investments are made are spread across the North and that this hopeful tide of good fortune will raise all boats, not just in one particular area. That’s a commitment of the government. Once again, I will ask the Minister of Transportation if he wishes to...