Bob McLeod

We’ve been reaching out to all the Aboriginal governments and looking for comments on all of the major issues; devolution is one part of it. We have a basis for our relationship with all Aboriginal governments through land claim agreements and through self-government agreements, and we will continue to pursue those avenues.

As far as devolution, this is something we’ll continue to seek the support of Aboriginal governments and we will continue to provide all of the information that is available on devolution on a go-forward basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don’t think one predicates the other. We’ve been working very hard for the past three months to establish better working relationships. Most of the Aboriginal governments that we’ve met, six out of seven have been very supportive, indicating they want to continue to develop a working relationship.

On the Devolution Agreement, we’re inviting all parties to participate and we’re making sure we keep them apprised of all of the progress or of any discussions that happen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to go six for six here for Mr. Ed Jeske, who my favourite arena is named after. Thank you.

The most important part.

We have the potential to be a great territory. Last November Minister Duncan wrote in the Hill Times that Canada’s North is a fundamental part of our national identity and our economic future. We share Minister Duncan’s views and the vision of Canada’s Northern Strategy of a North that can realize its true potential as a healthy, prosperous and secure region within a strong and sovereign Canada. We have the natural resources, human capital and political experience to be a self-sufficient territory, participating as a full, contributing member of Confederation. We can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although we have a small population, the Northwest Territories is a large and diverse territory. We live in 33 communities spread over several regions. We share the territory with seven regional Aboriginal governments. We all have our own mandates, priorities and interests unique to each of our groups. Sometimes our individual priorities align with each other and sometimes it is more difficult to find consensus on specific issues.

But in spite of the individual differences that we may have, I believe that Northerners share the same bigger vision for our territory. No...

Our intention was, in follow-up through the Caucus meeting that was held in Detah with the seven Aboriginal government leaders, that it was our intention to pull together what we feel that we’ve heard and what we’ve discussed with the Aboriginal governments and that we would all sit together and put forward some indication of what we had heard, what the government would be proposing and use that as the basis for a follow-up meeting and for further discussion with the Aboriginal governments. Our expectation was to look at doing something in the next two to three months, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess the approach that we’ve been taking is to reach out to all the Aboriginal governments to find a way to establish better working relationships by finding common ground. We think the best way to do that is to go out and meet with them and to identify what the basis of our relationship should be and how we should work together, and if there are any interests to formalize that arrangement, we’d be prepared to look at that as well.

I guess I’ll answer in a different perspective. The cost to us is it’s costing us $165,000 a day. Over the past five years we’ve seen $300 million flowing to the Government of Canada never to return. So we have a standing invitation to all of the Aboriginal governments to participate if they see fit to do so.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess as part of this process that we’ve undertaken, as the Member may recall, when we all got together as Caucus and set the priorities for the 17th Assembly, one of the priorities was to conclude devolution negotiations and we are in the process of attempting to do so. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, wish the constituents of Yellowknife South and all the people of the Northwest Territories and everybody here a very merry Christmas and happy and prosperous New Year.