Prime Minister responds to N.W.T. letter on Giant Mine apology: Premier
N.W.T. Premier Bob McLeod makes announcement in Legislative Assembly
N.W.T. Premier Bob McLeod says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has responded to a letter McLeod sent seeking an apology from Ottawa for the federal government's role in keeping Giant Mine open.
In October, the members of the N.W.T. Legislature unanimously passed a motion calling on McLeod to write a letter to Trudeau, demanding an apology and compensation for allowing the mine to spew hundreds of thousands of tonnes of arsenic trioxide from its roaster during its 75 years of operation.
In the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly asked McLeod for an update.
McLeod not only confirmed he sent a letter, but said he's also received a response.
"The prime minister, in his response, indicated that he was forwarding my letter to the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and Northern affairs," he said.
"It is my understanding that the regional director general for the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs has agreed to enter into discussions with the Yellowknives Dene First Nations and is working with the chiefs to schedule a meeting."
The Yellowknives Dene live near the former mine site. They've long called for an apology and millions of dollars in compensation.
Neither Chief Edward Sangris nor Chief Ernest Betsina say they're aware of any discussion happening between Ottawa and Yellowknives Dene Chiefs.
Trudeau's letter is expected to be tabled in the legislature on Wednesday.
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