[Witness speaks in Inuktitut]
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members.
We appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today. We will present a few highlights from the brief previously submitted to you.
The Nunavut Planning Commission, or NPC, is an institution of public government established under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, to which some of you may know I am a signatory. The commission has the primary responsibility to prepare and implement a land use plan that guides and directs resource use and development in the Nunavut settlement area. This single land use plan will be a significant milestone in the management of lands for the Nunavut settlement area.
The creation of a Nunavut land use plan, as mandated in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, is one of the major determinants that would encourage northern economic development by supporting industry to invest and explore in Nunavut. Nunavut will be the only territory in Canada where land use is administered under a single land use plan. This will enable industry and other land users to strategically plan their investment in Nunavut in a timely manner, and design their project proposals in accordance with the guidelines in the Nunavut land use plan.
The second component to this is the pending Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act. This act will clarify procedural questions related to the formulation and implementation of land use plans and environmental assessments. Proponents will have certainty with the one-window approach, and the process timeline is clear with all regulatory agencies.
Nunavut territory has a unique situation and an environment that has no comparison to the rest of Canada. It is an area of Canada with a high potential opportunity for resource development, but few means of getting it out. The introduction of the Nunavut land use plan and the pending legislation to implement it create a welcoming environment for industry to invest in Nunavut. With the investment of big industry come the spinoff businesses, training, and education opportunities that will help sustain local economies.
I will hand it to Marg.