Trip to mining conference criticized
Sending entire cabinet to Vancouver 'not a good idea,' says MLA
Kirsten Fenn
Northern News Services
Friday, January 27, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The GNWT is coming under fire this week for spending an estimated $75,000 to send a contingent of 30 government staff, including all seven cabinet ministers and Yellowknife North MLA Cory Vanthuyne, to a four-day mining conference in Vancouver.
Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Wally Schumann, centre, chats at the AME Roundup 2017 in Vancouver. All seven cabinet ministers attended the annual mining conference. - photo courtesy of GNWT |
This is the first time the entire cabinet has attended this event, which started Monday, according to cabinet spokesperson Andrew Livingstone.
Vanthuyne is attending as chair of the Standing Committee of Economic Development and Environment.
A large group of departmental staff regularly participate in this kind of conference, which is included in annual operating budgets, Livingstone said.
AME Roundup 2017 is an annual mining conference that brings together geologists, prospectors, financial investors and partners to talk about mineral exploration and development.
The GNWT had four booths at the conference explaining the role of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), Department of Transportation and the Department of Lands in mining.
ITI Minister Wally Schumann said cabinet is there to show support for the mining industry and sell people on what the NWT has to offer.
"I have a number of meetings lined up daily with junior mining companies to prospectors to financial institutes," Schumann said. "And we have a number of cabinet ministers around the table with me and we're discussing the challenges of moving the mining industry forward in the NWT."
He said every minister has "input and concerns" about mining, from employment to environmental impact.
The mining sector hasn't fully recovered since the 2008 recession, which is why cabinet is attending the conference together, Livingstone said. He added cabinet is hearing from people in the mining industry about the challenges they face.
Others aren't so sure the decision to send all seven ministers to Vancouver is justified.
"I think it's not a good idea," said Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly. "Our government has cut a significant number of employees' positions and for them to go collectively to a conference like that, I just don't think it's very responsible ... They don't walk the talk of their fiscal restraint."
Yellowknife Centre MLA Julie Green said she doesn't believe sending cabinet to the conference delivers the right message ahead of the budget session, which starts next week.
"The premier ran on a mandate of providing transparency about government action and he's not meeting his own promises," Green said. "I'm looking for him to provide a rationale for this trip. And not because people are asking questions after the fact, but to do it up front, to consult the regular MLAs and to provide the justification."
Livingstone said expenses are still being tallied for the trip and that the $75,000 total is only an estimate, calculated at a cost of about $2,500 per person. The staff participating in this year's conference, in addition to cabinet, included deputy ministers, assistant deputy ministers, a large group of staff from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and staff to support cabinet, Livingstone said.
"It's a large project," he said. "It takes months of planning to get the GNWT's involvement in the trade show up and running."
According to a ministerial travel report from last year, the government spent at least $5,566.03 to send the premier, the Health minister and the Lands minister to the 2016 mineral conference. The premier was also Industry, Tourism and Investment minister at the time.
While Green said the government should promote other "fast-growing" sectors like tourism, manufacturing and agriculture, Schumann said these sectors will not be enough to make up for the revenues generated by mining - at least not in the short-term.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is working to promote other areas, he said, but added mining makes up 20 per cent of the NWT's GDP.
"Mining generates revenues for a good portion of all these other programs and services," said Schumann. "If you cut off your arm, you're going to bleed to death."
O'Reilly and Green both plan to question cabinet about the cost of the trip during the upcoming session of the legislative assembly, which begins Tuesday.
"I don't think any of us say this kind of travel shouldn't happen. I'm not saying that," Green said. "But what I am saying is if it could be done by two or three ministers, why do we need to send seven?"
