Good afternoon, committee members, witnesses and invited guests. Welcome to the fifth meeting of the Standing Committee on Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
Pursuant to the orders of the day and to Standing Order 108(2), today we will be discussing Northern Territories Economic Development: Barriers and Solutions.
Members, we have witnesses with us today, but before we begin, because this our first meeting resuming consideration of the study we were working on in the second session of the 40th Parliament, as a matter of protocol we should formally adopt the motion to resume the study of northern territories economic development: barriers and solutions.
I understand the wording of the motion has been circulated to you. It reads:
That the committee resume its study of northern territories economic development: barriers and solutions started in the previous session, and that the evidence and documentation received by the committee during the second session of the 40th Parliament on the subject be taken into consideration by the committee in this session.
Do we have a mover for the motion? It is moved by Mr. Dreeshen.
(Motion agreed to)
We continue.
There is a second motion, or budget, rather. The budget for the resumption of this study has been been circulated to you. This is a routine aspect of our business, committee members. Typically each committee is allowed at each session a global envelope that it uses for the expenses of the committee. I think you have a copy of it. It's on legal-sized paper. I would entertain a motion to adopt the budget expenses for this study, which you'll see come to a total amount of $39,500.
It is moved by Mr. Dreeshen.
(Motion agreed to)
Thank you very much.
Now we'll go to our witnesses.
I welcome two witnesses today, and I would like to start by offering our apologies. We had a couple of false starts here. We had both of the agencies involved with us here today scheduled to appear at earlier meetings. Because of scheduling problems, we had to cancel on them. Finally we were able to make this, and I appreciate your patience.
Today we welcome Ms. Sheila Leggett, vice-chair of the National Energy Board, and Mr. Steve Burgess, executive director of project reviews and operations for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
The normal format is a ten-minute presentation, and then we go to questions from members.
Let's begin with Ms. Leggett.