Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you heard from Mr. Bromley already, for a full week this past September the environmental assessment hearings were held on the remediation plan for the Giant Mine site. The GNWT is a partner with the Government of Canada, acting as the developer for the project at these hearings. Two weeks ago the developer made their final submission to the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, and reading the content of their submission, as Mr. Bromley stated, I also felt that it’s almost as though they weren’t listening to any of the presenters.

The GNWT...

Does committee agree we will proceed without witnesses?

Question has been called.

---Carried

Thank you, committee. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks also to the Minister. In listening to the answer, I have to say that it sounds to me as though we want to hide things, and I would hope that’s not the intent. If we have to get a report and massage the report before it can be made public, I’d like to ask the Minister if this is the reason: we want to make sure that we’re putting out the information that we want out there as opposed to what’s reported on the report.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a comment and a couple of questions here.

I want to follow up to discuss the project for the Children First Society, the early childhood care and education facility in Inuvik. Like other Members, I fully support this project, it’s needed, and I give full credit to the members of the Children First Society, who did a great job of raising funds and have done an excellent job to get themselves the facility that they know they need.

My concern with this particular project is the process that was used to get it to the capital budget. We have apparently, according to...

I didn’t hear the Minister say when that is, so I hope that’s soon. I’d like to know from the Minister, it seems that in the last little while that it appears to me that reports are done, and then before the report gets tabled there are responses from management.

I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not this has become a current practice that a report is asked for, a report is received, and before the report actually gets tabled, the management response is asked for. Is this something which is becoming standard practice in the Minister’s department and across government?

Thank you, Mr. Moses. I didn’t hear a question there either. Minister, did you wish to comment?

To the Minister, I appreciate that he’s going to make this report available, but I believe it’s before standing committee already. My question is whether or not, or why it can’t be made available to the public. I’m sure that the recommendations in that report would like to be seen by some of the people who had input, would like to be seen by some of the people who are using SFA right now. I would again ask the Minister when he anticipates that this report can be tabled.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. I didn’t hear a question there. Minister, did you feel the need to respond?

I think the Minister said that the report is not public. That’s my understanding, I think. I’d like to know from the Minister if the report has been received by the Minister and there has been a response to the report. I would think that there are many people in the public who would like to know what the report says. So I’d like to ask the Minister whether it is the intention of the Minister to make the report and its recommendations available to the public. Could he table it in the House perhaps, and hopefully soon? Thank you.