Michael Miltenberger

Thank you. We will listen carefully to the Member’s suggestion and request. The issue of a top-up is one I will check. Our responsibility is mainly to do with the surface remediation and, of course, we’ve already contributed $27 million that we’ve booked for our share. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Floyd Roland will be absent from the House today to attend devolution discussions in Deline.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now there is no clear specific requirement in terms of residency for board members or who should sit on the board. We do look at regional representation and we also, as a matter of course, expect that board members and the chairman will be residents of the Northwest Territories. I will commit to discuss the issue with the deputy minister and take a look at those issues. Thank you.

Thank you. The bill, when it comes forward for first and second reading, will be as complete as possible. It will have been amended numerous times. We’ve fully briefed committee on this. We laid out all the very many changes that have been made based on a lot of the feedback that we have received from groups and individuals from across the North, outside of the North, from business, from industry, from the airlines. So we’re going to bring forward a bill that will be there to be further viewed by committee through a consultation process. We’ll look to advice that comes back from that process...

Mr. Speaker, all the legislation that we do as a government is reviewed by Justice to make sure it complies with the senior laws of the land, like rights and freedoms, Canadian Constitution. This bill was no different and is no different. It has been reviewed thoroughly, and while there are some assertions from some quarters that it does not comply, we are of the opinion, clearly, that it does. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve heard the concern. There are some options that are out there in terms of ex-officio members, observers; as well, the GNWT will have two to three seats available, of which in any given time we can bring stakeholders to the table, depending on the issue being discussed. Thank you.

I have no present memory of the Member raising this issue before. If he has and I have forgotten it, I apologize. I will personally report back to him following our next Refocusing committee meeting.

I would point out that probably the ultimate remover of red tape for us, especially when the Members talked about regulatory reform and such, is going to be devolution. When we take over authorities in the Northwest Territories and we can adjust our systems, when we’re not reliant on systems and programs and regimes that have been set up by a government 5,000 miles away, that we will, in fact, be...

I, as well, have met with the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses to have lunch with them and talk about some of their concerns. I will point out, back a number of Assemblies ago there was a division or a group within government that was struck to look at red tape, but there’s nothing current that I’m aware of. Thank you.

I’m not quite sure what type of distinction the Member wants to create. We had public meetings -- public meetings -- in every community. Some we went back to twice. Now, was the Member expecting us to do a head count and count who was Aboriginal and who was non-Aboriginal and apportion cost by head count? I don’t know what point the Member is making here. The fact is this process for Northerners cost well nigh into $2 million and, yes, we had note takers at the meeting. Yes, notes were taken. I will check to see what would be the best way to possibly put out a summary of the various...

I’d qualify that in terms of some non-Aboriginal hunters and they were represented very ably by the Government of the Northwest Territories. If the Member will wait until the first part of March for when we come in with the bill for first and second reading, then we’ll lay out all the work that’s been done, all the amendments that have been made in response to the feedback we’ve received.