Environment committee  I'd like to thank you for this opportunity to appear before the committee. For the record, my name is Michael Miltenberger and I'm the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I'm also the Deputy Premier, as well as the Minister of Finance. I want to talk to you about the

Environment committee  We have had strong support from the aboriginal governments. Within the Northwest Territories, the federal government, through Indian Affairs, has provided us with the support and resources to help move this forward.

Environment committee  Our relationship with the provinces and the Yukon is built mainly on the Mackenzie River Basin transboundary agreement, under which we have to negotiate these bilaterals. This agreement was signed in 1997, and bilaterals were supposed to be negotiated. After 11 years, though, the

Environment committee  At the last environment ministers gathering, we did get inclusion of the need to look towards national principles when it comes to dealing with water. I think it's an issue that is gathering significant momentum as people recognize what's happening. At this point, I wouldn't sa

Environment committee  For the most part, they've been very supportive. The Canadian Boreal Initiative has offered some money. We've had some interest from ATCO, but that's mainly to see what's being proposed because they're one of the proponents for the potential Slave River dam. But without exception

Environment committee  At this point, I think it's wait and see. The ATCO folks, as I indicated, have asked for a copy of our draft of what's being proposed, and they have given us some feedback. But for the most part, I think they're waiting to see what fruit comes from these efforts.

Environment committee  We've been working with Mr. Bob Sandford, who is the chair of the United Nations International Decade “Water for Life” in Canada. He has been extremely helpful. We've been put in contact with the Rosenberg foundation, which is an international body that deals with water issues.

Environment committee  I think we have to do both. For example, we have very little understanding of groundwater mapping and aquifers. In the United States, the Ogallala Aquifer spans four or five states. I would suggest that we have the same situation in Canada. Once our groundwater mapping is done, w

Environment committee  We're going to need a range of structures, from the community to the national-international level, with all of the different levels being linked vertically and across. We definitely have to recognize the role of the aboriginal governments. In the Northwest Territories, they are o

Environment committee  If you put that agreement on the table and got agreement to open it up, I think it would look substantially different when the process was finished. I don't think any aboriginal government would be content to have the Northwest Territories or Alberta.... I think we have one repre

Environment committee  We're going to have to figure out how we're going to respond. We have to adapt to things that are happening. We also have to take the strong steps necessary to mitigate what's causing climate change. In our jurisdiction, the changes that we know are there didn't start in the N

Environment committee  Not to my knowledge. We're struggling to sort out the review processes for the pipeline within our own jurisdiction. But that's why we're here. We recognized with the start of this government, the 16th assembly, about a year and a half ago now, that it is a fundamental issue an

Environment committee  I think we have to once again look at that whole range. For example, we were in Whitehorse a few months back and we signed a federal waste water agreement. Most jurisdictions have signed on to that. Of course, implementation will be the challenge. In our jurisdiction, we only ha

Environment committee  Not at this point. This strategy has consumed a significant amount of our resources. We're a small jurisdiction. While we're aware of the pollutants coming out of the air—from industry, coal-fired plants, and major dust storms—it's just another issue on our list. We're trying to

Environment committee  The federal government has some clear responsibilities in our jurisdiction when it comes to issues like water, and I have indicated the legal responsibility. It gets back to the national water strategy and the need for the federal government to play a leadership role to make sur