Natural Resources Committee on June 7th, 2012

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

[Inaudible—Editor]...the training programs? I know it applies best to the Yukon. Certainly in my area, in British Columbia, there's been a lot of concern.

The federal government cut back on funding for the ITAC, which is the Industry Training and Apprenticeship Commission. As a result of that, ITAC no longer exists, which means that we're not getting the apprenticeships and having young people actually developing trade specialties. Instead, the federal government seems to be bringing in temporary foreign workers, which is completely counterproductive in terms of building a robust, modern economy.

Are you seeing any federal funding for the apprenticeship programs that are important in both of your communities?

[Pujjuut Kusugak]

The funding for the Nunavut Arctic College is through the territorial government, which gets its funding from the federal government. That's as far as I can answer that.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Okay.

Mr. Tapatai.

[Peter Tapatai]

From the territorial government, we recently got airport improvements. But that's just a band-aid solution.

We would like to see a jet landing there some day. We see a lot of resource development coming our way, and we want to be ready.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

So there's money going out of your community, but there's not a lot of money coming back in once it leaves.

Can I ask you a final question, Mr. Tapatai? Because you have a mine in the community, has there been any support for environmental monitoring?

Certainly Mayor Blake mentioned that it's very important. She stressed that the federal government should be providing funding for ongoing monitoring of the environmental implications of oil sands development. I'm wondering to what extent, in your community, there's been any support by the federal government for monitoring the environmental impact of mining.

[Peter Tapatai]

I am not aware of it. I will certainly bring this matter up with the hamlet council. I have your card.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Yes.

[Peter Tapatai]

I will see what I can do to provide you with information on it.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

We'd be pleased as well to come to the community. All three communities are beautiful and have a reputation in the south. More southerners should go up north.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Thank you, Mr. Julian. That's eight minutes.

Mr. McGuinty, you have up to seven minutes. Go ahead, please.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

I'll take eight.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Okay.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Thanks very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much, gentlemen, for being here. It's a long trip, I know. Thank you for making the effort to be here.

Mr. Jenkins, I wanted to go back to some of your comments, which really disturbed me, at the end of your testimony, when you were given an opportunity by Mr. Trost. I wanted to explore that a little bit.

You said that timelines are a huge problem in the Yukon context. Just this week, the government dispatched 10 ministers across the country to talk about the two-year timeline for regulatory reform, only to have it confirmed that in fact clock stoppages on behalf of a proponent of a project will delay way beyond two years, in most cases some of the largest projects we have. For example, in the context of the NWT, Imperial Oil was responsible for four years of delay—four years of delay—for the pipeline. It had nothing to do with the regulatory system.

I want to come back to the comments you made, which were really troubling for me, as a Canadian. You talked about undue influence by outsiders. You named the Yukon Conservation Society. You named the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the David Suzuki Foundation. You said they were funnelling money from the United States. Can you tell us how you know that? How do you know they're funnelling money from the United States?

[Peter Jenkins]

You can just visit the websites and see where their money originates. It comes from a number of major foundations in the U.S. It comes into Canada, and it's dispersed by these groups.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Sorry, it's coming in through what mechanism?

[Peter Jenkins]

It's a direct amount that's provided to these various NGOs from U.S.-based foundations.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

What would be the largest company in the Yukon right now looking to, for example, get a project going?

[Peter Jenkins]

There are numerous ones, from Kinross to Golden Predator, for instance.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Where does their capital come from?

[Peter Jenkins]

Money markets in the U.S. and in Europe.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Are they funnelling money into Canada through a Canadian company? Are they taking money from the New York Stock Exchange, or from institutional retail investors? Is that undue influence? Would you consider that to be the same?

[Peter Jenkins]

There is the money side of it for investment opportunities. Money knows no boundaries. It moves wherever it's going to get a good rate of return, and where there is a secure, sound basis for their investment. Canada has provided that in many instances. The influence that's being exerted on the regulatory process through some of these other foundations and groups is affecting that investment opportunity.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

If we follow your logic, then, money knows no boundaries and is like electricity. It follows the path of least resistance, but it should know boundaries when it comes to receiving moneys for other interests other than pecuniary interests, is that right?

[Peter Jenkins]

No, sir. It's not the case.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

It's funnelling money when it comes to bringing money into Canadian foundations and environmental NGOs, but it's not funnelling money when it brings money in from outside of Canada for capitalizing big mining projects, for example?