Bob McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We started even before devolution came into effect, by a public information campaign so that the people in the public could understand what devolution was all about. We’ve activated the website. We put information in all the newspapers with regard to devolution. We have an interactive website now where we will be asking the public to correspond with, and we will be collecting all of that information with the objective of having it in place in the fall. Then we expect it will take about a month to gather all of the feedback that we get through the website, and then we...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome Members back to the continuation of the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.

This is our first session since the transfer of authority for public land, water and resources from the Government of Canada to the Government of the Northwest Territories. Devolution was the most significant development in the political evolution of the Northwest Territories since division, and I want to again thank Members for their support and participation in making this long-held goal a reality. We will continue to look to Members for support and input as we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Trevor Teed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We’ve created 206 new territorial government jobs to provide for devolution, and as of May 6th there were 60 vacant positions. Now that we’re near the end of May, I expect the majority of those jobs have been filled, but I will commit to reviewing the numbers again and provide the information to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Like the Member, we want to make sure we have a very thorough, transparent review of the devolution legislation, so we’d be quite prepared to extend the review to whatever period of time would be seen to be appropriate; December or even later to the next year, keeping in mind that the longer we extend, the more we get into transitional arrangements. But I think to be very thorough and transparent, we would be prepared to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to recognize two visitors from Scotland, Pat and Jim Thom, and also I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize that Pat grew up in Yellowknife at Giant Mine townsite and some of you long-time Yellowknifers may remember her as Pat Spence. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, this is an exciting time for the Northwest Territories. We are about to take a significant step in our economic and political development by acquiring new legislative authorities and jurisdiction over our lands and resources. The successful implementation of devolution is not simply a matter of transferring authority from one government to another. Equally important is retaining the experience and expertise of the regional federal employees who have been delivering these programs and services in the Northwest Territories. On April 1st, 132 regional Aboriginal Affairs and Northern...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Robert C. McLeod will be absent from the House today to attend to a personal matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Deline Land Corporation and the Deline First Nation whose members have voted to ratify the Deline Final Self-Government Agreement.

For Deline, this is the culmination of 18 years of negotiations. This is an historic moment for the Sahtu Dene and Metis of Deline.

The Deline Final Self-Government Agreement is the first community-based self-government agreement in the Northwest Territories to be negotiated in a region that has an existing land claim agreement.

Now that Deline has ratified their self-government agreement, the Government of the Northwest...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Great Slave, that Bill 17, Northwest Territories Intergovernmental Resources Revenue Sharing Agreement Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.