David Krutko

Mr. Speaker, in regards to my opening statement, I talked about the impacts this board reform will have on self-government negotiating talks up and down the valley. There are several tables in place. In my riding, there are two tables presently negotiating, the Inuvialuit and the Gwich’in. Again, I think it should be their choice in regards to what type of structures that they would like to govern themselves going forward in the future. My question is to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Roland. Has the government consulted with First Nations governments who are negotiating self...

Mr. Chair, I, too, would like to congratulate the Minister and his staff for acquiring the $50 million from the feds. I know the last time around it took a little arm-twisting of other jurisdictions and other authorities where we’re one of the few jurisdictions where we actually matched the funding that we got from the feds. When we did that, we also came forward with a housing needs survey or study that we identified core needs. We identified areas where we have overcrowding in the communities, where we have conditional rating of the different units we had in regard to having to replace some...

Like I stated, the Dehcho are negotiating a regional government for the Dehcho government and the same thing applies to the Akaitcho, who are also negotiating their treaty rights with regard to Treaty 8.

I have to say that this government hasn’t done its homework when it comes to consultation that it has to impose upon aboriginal people and aboriginal governments to ensure that this does not interfere with those negotiations that are presently going on in the Northwest Territories and in the regions throughout the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. I have four people on my list, so maybe we will just get general comments from each of the Members and then we will allow that Minister to respond after we have general comments. Next on the list I have Mr. Bromley, Mr. Jacobson and Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The board reform process has totally undermined the constitutional rights and obligations we have to First Nations people. The Inuvialuit in my region settled their land claim in 1984 and the Gwich’in in 1992. They presently have two self-government tables being negotiated in the Beaufort-Delta region: one for the Inuvialuit and one for the Gwich’in. The Inuvialuit are negotiating for a regional government structure. The Gwich’in are negotiating what the obligations are under the treaties they signed in 1921 and the modern treaty they signed in 1992.

Those agreements...

Agreed. Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in, please.

For the record, Mr. Minister, can you introduce your witnesses?

At this time I would like to ask the Minister if he would like to bring in any witnesses.

With that, we’ll take a short break and begin with the Housing Corporation.

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Minister of Housing.

I’ll call Committee of the Whole to order. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 7-16(3), Committee Report 2-16(3), Committee Report 3-16(3), Tabled Document 11-16(3), Bill 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7. What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.