Wally Schumann

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 34, Mineral Resources Act, be read for the first time, and, Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you. Do you want me to say it again? Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 34, Mineral Resources Act, be read for the third time, Mr. Speaker, and I request a recorded vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, but we would have to consult with Indigenous governments. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will take the comment as noted, but we will certainly have a look at this as we develop regulations. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The reason we have this in here is to incur benefits for NWT residents. That's what we will continue to do, and that's why we have it in here, and we are subject to improvement going forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's not about a municipality's status. The entire restricted area provision was designed to provide an emergency tool to protect sensitive areas recently discovered from irreparable harm. It is in the spirit of reconciliation and recognizing the inherent rights of Indigenous governments to their land, and it also recognizes the fact that Indigenous settlement lands are generally considerably larger than those of municipalities. This makes it far more difficult for Indigenous governments to know all the facets of their lands which they need to protect.

Furthermore, there...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I need him to clarify the question again just so it is very clear.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Our current SEAs are best efforts. Government is working with the mining proponents together to meet targets and using the collaborative approach. This has all been done without legislation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think the point on this whole thing is it's not the Mineral Resources Act to have that discussion. It would be a broader government discussion, and maybe that's a discussion that needs to take place with the Department of MACA. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a multi-departmental review, as I've just said, and that's going to be up to the 19th Legislative Assembly, what they want to do. Thank you, Mr. Chair.