Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on April 2nd, 2009

[Rosemary Keenainak]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think one of the things I've been talking about is putting in very basic infrastructure that a lot of southern communities take for an advantage. One of the issues we also have is that all our communities are not connected by road, so we need to make sure our airstrips are upgraded. In some communities there are limitations on the types of planes that come in. There are new, more advanced planes and more efficient planes that have certain criteria, and they're not able to land in communities. I'm sure the committee members that went to Pangnirtung will appreciate that landing in Pangnirtung for some can be a little bit scary, because you're landing in the middle of the town. So it's basic infrastructure like that.

One other thing we've also been asking and advocating for in all our communities is small craft harbours. On the east and west coasts a lot of the communities have these facilities, and those will help in terms of other sectors like mining and fisheries, and it will also be safer for our harvesters. Those are the kinds of things we need in terms of infrastructure.

In terms of health centres, right now a lot of our citizens still have to go to different parts of southern Canada: Edmonton, Yellowknife, Winnipeg, or here in Ottawa. So we need better facilities in the north. We do have a bigger hospital in Iqaluit, and we also have health centres in Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay now, but there are also issues of staffing them. So that's why I identified education and training as an issue.

In terms of nurses, I don't know when you were in the north, but there has been some success in training some nurses in the north now, and that needs to continue. Infrastructure related to mining activities is also going to be very important. We had a Nunavut mining symposium this week. There were issues of giving power to some of the potential mines that are going to be coming down the pipe as well.

Those are a couple of items.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

One of the reasons I'm asking this, Rosemary, is the cause that I often champion in my own riding: when we talk about infrastructure development in the isolated or more remote communities, can the better part of the work be done there by the people living in those communities? That continues to be a challenge. I wonder how confident you feel that you can meet that specific challenge.

I can put this out to the broader panel of witnesses. Have you identified specific training priorities to support diversification and infrastructure, the fact that some kinds of training that may be highly specialized may need to go to your bigger city centres in the region, or outside of it? Have you identified specific priorities around education and training? The innovation and knowledge fund--is it helpful?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

We're actually out of time there, Mr. Rickford.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

What?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

It's a five-minute round. You can make a brief response, though, Madame Keenainak.

[Rosemary Keenainak]

I'd like to give the NWT and Yukon an opportunity to respond to your first question. I don't know if you want to ask that later.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

There will probably be time, if you want to fit it in later. Sure.

Would you like to respond?

[Harvey Brooks]

Absolutely. In terms of the critical infrastructure, I'll just go down the road.

Water and sewer for communities is high on our priority list, and we'll be addressing a lot of that with the federal infrastructure money that's coming out now.

Housing is critical for most communities.

For economic diversification, I agree there are a number of aspects there. It's transportation—local transportation, transportation to ports, port loading and unloading facilities. For the potential long term, if some of the world-class deposits get developed, a rail system will be needed there at some point in the future.

For communications, it is fibre optics. We expect to have a full fibre optic link this summer, but then bandwidth becomes a problem. We absolutely have a burgeoning IT industry in Yukon, and it will grow.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Thank you.

A brief response.

[Peter Vician]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll just respond to the infrastructure portion.

I've said this before. Transport issues are the Mackenzie highway, some airport improvements, and some marine improvements in the system.

From the energy side, the Mackenzie gas project is at the top of the list followed by some hydroelectric development projects, currently the Taltson initiative.

Third, the communications infrastructure system involves the broadband and the last mile service to communicate us. There is a direct relation. I worked in the region more than 30 years ago. I know the connection and link to education when you bring broadband and Internet last mile to all the people up north.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Thank you.

Now we move to Mr. Lemay, from the Bloc Québécois.

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

We have finished the first round already. I told you that we would have a second round and that it would not be so easy.

I had the opportunity to travel to where you live on several occasions, because, when I was a lawyer, I used to go to the far north of Quebec, that is, to all the villages along on the coast of Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay. I have also seen what is happening in Nunavut. You live in a place where the balance is very fragile.

I have to say that I am very concerned about the pipeline to be built in the Mackenzie Valley. I am very worried by mining development in your areas and by the environment in general, given global warming.

What have you done? What are you preparing to do? Do you have a handle on that kind of development? You have not seen anything yet, because the north is going to get very busy, especially as the Government of Canada seeks to establish its sovereignty in the Arctic. Things are going to take off to an extent that you would not even believe, as someone from Quebec would say. There will be so many people on your doorstep! Are you ready for that? What steps have you taken? Mark my words, it will be a tidal wave. Are your territorial governments ready for development that may sometimes be a little too close to anarchy for comfort?

I will let all three of you answer my questions. Take the time that you need. How about if we start with Ms. Rosemary?

[Rosemary Keenainak]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes, there are lots of concerns and fears, I guess, among some folks in terms of all the social issues that may arise from the mining activity. But I think there's also recognition from the government that we want to try to get our citizens involved and be part of the development. That's why I talked about training and education and giving our citizens more opportunities to participate in the economy, especially in the mining sector. There has been consideration on that.

As a government, we're trying to work with the communities, and we also work very closely with the Inuit organizations. Those concerns do come up. That's why, as a government, we have socio-economic monitor committees as part of the land claims process. They bring in the Inuit organizations, the hamlets, as well as industry to talk about some of these opportunities, training, business opportunities, and also some of the effects that may arise.

We had a meeting with one of the mining companies yesterday. Baker Lake is one community where there's the Meadowbank project and that's the closest community. Apparently the mayor has said there haven't been as many issues as they thought there would be, because they're working very closely with the government as well as the mining company on that.

I'll just leave it at that for now, because I want to give the other two territories an opportunity. Thank you.

[Peter Vician]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I sound like a broken record, but I think the first thing is that decision-making needs to made in the north, by the people of the north. As I said earlier, northerners do not believe they have that entitlement. The decisions are made by the federal government. Until devolution takes place, that is the first way of managing that potential....

We also have one of the most unique, and probably one of the most interesting, co-management environments to deal with the pace and impacts of development. If northerners have that control and they have the good processes in place to deal with that, we believe that will make the difference. We've made a recommendation, as a result of the federal regulatory improvement review process, that impact processes and systems need to be in place to deal with all types of development and that robust and solid feedback needs to be done throughout the process of a project.

The way projects are done today in the Northwest Territories is quite different from 30 years ago. We're still cleaning up projects from 30 years ago. Today, mining and oil and gas are being done differently because the people in the north are asserting their interests and their concerns and making sure things are done right.

My view on this is devolution first, and a solid process to deal with environmental review.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Mr. Brooks.

[Harvey Brooks]

I agree with the comment from the other territories. Again, it's about local control. We have a process in place, the YESAA process, which includes first nations, the Yukon government, and federal government departments, that establishes a review of the environmental and socio-economic impacts at a single setting. That is very important. It allows first nations to get a view of the developments that are coming and how they might be impacted.

We welcome responsible development that understands the linkages to environment and to climate. There has been a climate change action plan released at the same time as an energy strategy. So it is on everyone's minds. There is planning in place. If it's driven locally...it's most important that people do have their concerns heard during the process.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Thank you all.

In the future, when a question is directed to one of the territories or witnesses today, if others wish to add a comment, please raise your hand or signify that and we'll make sure we get you on the record as well. Thank you.

Now we'll go to Mr. Clarke, for five minutes.

[Rob Clarke, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for taking their time to travel some great distances to testify today.

My question is for Mr. Brooks, from the Yukon.

Today, you mentioned, on page 6, that 11 of the 14 first nations have self-governing agreements in place and how some have already taken advantage of investment opportunities in various industry sectors across the Yukon. What are some industries the first nations are taking part in?

[Harvey Brooks]

It covers the whole gamut of the Yukon economy.

I was at the Minto mine site the other day, where Selkirk First Nation--this takes place on their category A land--actually owns the land the development is on. They participate in the mining operation, and they are benefiting locally from the jobs that take place. It's everything: office supply companies, bottling plants, window manufacturing, hotels, construction companies. The list is fairly extensive. They have companies that service remote tower sites. It's anything imaginable.

We've seen a tremendous involvement of the first nations in economic activity. The only thing holding them back, I think, is a longer-term capacity development. They're fully stretched at this point with the busy economy they've had over the last year.

[Rob Clarke, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

You also mentioned that the Yukon government was very pleased when the Government of Canada announced its intention to create a northern regional economic development agency. How much money was allocated by the federal government for that?

[Harvey Brooks]

We understand that the allocation is $50 million over five years for the administration. I think you heard from the officials the other day that they will be managing a number of programs through the agency, which would include the community adjustment fund, the RInC program--the recreational program--and they would be looking at a SINED extension as well, the targeted investment program. The targeted investment program is $30 million, so that's $90 million in total over the three years. It's a fair amount of activity to be addressed.

[Rob Clarke, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Now, in your testimony you mentioned that the Yukon has environmental regulation based solely on your own government. Could I get some clarification on that? Has the Northwest Territories looked at the model the Yukon is using?

[Harvey Brooks]

The YESAA--Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act--process is set up with first nations and the federal government. Since devolution in 2003, the ultimate authority rests with the Yukon government to proceed on land and water issues. So it's extremely important.

It is a single-window approach. All interested parties come in through this approach to make comment on any development that is proposed. It is going through a five-year review at this point in time, so there are a lot of people coming forward with comments on how the process might be improved.

I think the comment of note is that it's local control, there's local input, and the development is driven by local authority, which is important.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Mr. Vician.

[Peter Vician]

The Northwest Territories is different from the Yukon. It is primarily associated with the federal government's comprehensive claims process with the aboriginal peoples of the territory, a number of different arrangements across the territory, not all settled at this point. However, the federal government's Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act is the comprehensive process piece that oversees resource development and oversight and environmental review. The CEAA does play a role in the northern region as well, in the Inuvialuit region; however, that's the overarching process.

Yes, we have looked at YESAA, and we've looked at other provincial models as well. We aren't happy with the MVRMA; we think there are some things that need to be done. But it does respect aboriginal interests and their rights in the territorial realm.

Thank you.