Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to my previous colleague on highlighting the Mackenzie Valley Highway.
Further to my Member's statement, it's got to be recognized that I sent out a briefing here earlier to this question. My first question to the Minister of strategic infrastructure: Will the Minister support and endorse the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the Sahtu Secretariat Land Claims chapter 20 and 21 with the federal government which addresses access for Armed Forces division providing the capacity is there. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to acknowledge very briefly that the MLA is forever here working and finding ways to advance this project in every possible angle, including looking at land claims chapters. Mr. Speaker, that said it's not the position of me as a Minister to endorse specifically any particular chapter. I certainly can say that we do continue to be mindful of the land claim chapters to ensure that the Indigenous governments themselves are, you know, at the forefront of the considerations of planning and to the extent that they can make use of those chapters as partners as we go forward to [indiscernible]*, that is certainly -- we look forward to that. And, meanwhile, Mr. Speaker, the GNWT will continue to ensure that we rely upon and use the established processes that -- to which Members may be signatories and Indigenous governments may be signatories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that reply. And I encourage others to familiarize themselves with more specifically the Sahtu chapter 21.3.2, which really addresses a procurement process to secure that capital project. Mahsi.
My next question to the Minister is when will the Minister of strategic infrastructure submit the completed Ernst & Young business case for phase one of the Mackenzie Valley Highway. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are right now completing the work plan that was signed with the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation, and one of the deliverables there is that we will be submitting the (DAR) addendum report in July, and alongside that will go in the business case. So that is -- July would be the deadline on that but in the meantime, Mr. Speaker, that is not stopping anyone, any Minister here from advancing and advocating for this project using already the very well-known principles of what will make this project such an important asset for the Government of the Northwest Territories, for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Final supplementary. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're making progress. We have targets and deadlines so we can achieve our accomplishment.
My third question there, Mr. Speaker, is when will the Minister arrange for a joint Indigenous governments group to engage in campaign engagement meetings with our federal counterparts on that specific project? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we certainly already, in October, had the opportunity to be in Ottawa alongside Indigenous governments, the Sahtu Secretariat as well as the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation, and the Member for the Sahtu all conducted a -- co-hosted and presented the Mackenzie Valley Highway engagement attended by federal Ministers, a number of businesses, foreign dignitaries. It was very well received. I would certainly look forward to doing something similar again. I can say, Mr. Speaker, there's an intention amongst the Indigenous governments who line the entire route, both phase one and phase two, all the way up to the Gwich'in Tribal Council lands, to return to Ottawa. I would hope that that would be this spring. I don't have a date set, but I'll certainly want to get word out as soon as we do. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
