Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on some of the comments made by my colleague from Range Lake.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has been criticized by being a cumbersome process in the transfer of land by the city of Yellowknife. But not just them. Indigenous governments, businesses, and industry, Mr. Speaker. So my questions are directed to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
What barriers is the Minister prepared to remove or is currently removing to ensure that the GNWT does not stand in the way of the $10 billion northern investment by the national defence? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have -- the Department of Environment and Climate Change has been working very closely with the city of Yellowknife. We recently signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on bulk land transfers and moving land within the city. We currently have been meeting with the department on a very regular basis. We just had a meeting a week ago to talk about these potential requests that are going to come from the Department of National Defence. And we certainly recognize that this is a very important opportunity for the Northwest Territories, for the City of Yellowknife and the Town of Inuvik, and we are prepared to work with both of those communities as well as with our Indigenous partners in both of the regions to advance this as quickly as we can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure what MOU the Minister's referring to. I believe the last one, the City of Yellowknife either, you know, theoretically or metaphorically or whatever you want to call it, tore it up. In other words, they believed it wasn't working. Mr. Speaker, to the point, $10 billion doesn't come around every day, and it's certainly worth dedicating a dedicated team for this to help Yellowknife and the Town of Inuvik, Mr. Speaker. So my question specifically is does the Minister recognize the opportunity of aligning his department in a way so it can help facilitate and accelerate this extraordinary opportunity to ensure it isn't lost? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly recognize the opportunity here. I think it's a tremendous opportunity for the Northwest Territories as a whole. One of my priorities as Minister has been to focus on land and the ability to transfer land to communities. That's through collaborative work with housing, with MACA, to ensure that we are putting forward our resources in a way that maximizes those opportunities. We've added additional resources, and we've really gone on an effort to focus. Our primary focus was on housing, but it's very clear to me that working with the communities to advance the land requirements for these mega projects, to ensure that we get the maximum benefit from the $10 billion, is certainly a priority. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, just a few short weeks ago, the city was telling us that the land process and transfer process continues to be bogged down. Mr. Speaker, I know a lot of numbers get confusing, but I am going to say one land's employee, using round numbers, is $150,000. I would hate to think 0.000015 would stand in the way of $10 billion. That's the percentage, Mr. Speaker. So would the Minister take action to ensure the ball isn't dropped, and can the Minister explain what type of action he's going to do and accelerate to ensure this investment opportunity isn't lost in Inuvik and in Yellowknife and Northerners at large? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my earlier response, we currently have a memorandum of understanding with the City of Yellowknife that we signed in the fall. It's a new version of the agreement. We have been working very closely with the city. There's a number of parcels that have been identified as parcels of interest from the Department of National Defence, some of which are already in the possession of the city and have the ability to work with the Department of National Defence to move those requests forward. And certainly, as a department, we have dedicated staff to this process. We realize the importance and significance of doing this, and we are totally committed to working with all of the partners involved, including our Indigenous partners in and around the City of Yellowknife, to ensure that we move this forward in a way that meets everybody's interest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
