Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m here to present the 2011-2012 main estimates for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. The core business of the department is guided by the 16th Legislative Assembly’s goal of a strong and independent North built on partnerships.

The department’s main estimates propose total operating expenses of $7.619 million for the coming year which is a decrease of 6.9 percent, or $561,000, from the 2010-2011 main estimates.

This decrease is attributed to an $864,000 sunset of the resources allocated for the development of a common vision and...

Mr. Chairman, I think the Member, if he looks at Hansard tomorrow, will see I did not use the word full support. I talked about support of this Assembly. Now, yes, as is laid out clearly in policy, any Minister to sign an agreement with any government whether it is a provincial, federal, needs approval of Cabinet. We followed that process, but not without talking to Members of the Legislative Assembly. That wasn’t in this forum, but no one in this Assembly can say they were not informed of the process. Thank you.

I guess the first step would be a response, a formal response, a letter that was sent out inviting a dialogue and communications to happen around the agreement-in-principle. At that point we would discuss a format that would be looked at and then begin to work on a budget that could be used before going into communities and going over the agreement-in-principle. Thank you.

Well, Mr. Chairman, we have Aklavik; we have Fort Good Hope; we have Fort Norman -- as they call themselves in the documents -- Land Corporation; Fort Providence Metis Council; Fort Resolution; Fort Smith; Hay River; Hay River Aboriginal Metis; Metis Nation Local No. 52; Norman Wells Land Corp.; Yellowknife Metis Council; and then we have the Fort Liard Metis Local that’s working on getting back up to speed; Inuvik Metis Local and the Tsiigehtchic Metis. Then there’s the three that were last funded. They’re in the process now trying to get back up to speed, and that’s the Hay River and area...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The area of communications and protocol within Cabinet was one of coming up with a process of clearly establishing our links and communications internally with departments. Right now every department has their own communications portion or function. To pull that together to have a more consistent approach to that, as well as some direct communications themselves on that. We’re still doing the work, but I would say that if I recall the discussion on this, it was more to set up a better coordinated approach in our communications process between the Executive and...

I agree with the Member; we could be here not only all night, but we could be here all year debating one word or two words. That’s how some folks have made a living on negotiations, decades of discussions and no decisions to move forward. We have looked at that. In fact, by signing the agreement we are bound to the terms. For example, under claims obligations, the Tlicho Agreement, an example, 222.5.1, “the Government of the Northwest Territories shall involve the Tlicho Government in the development and implementation of any northern accord on oil and gas development in the Northwest...

Mr. Chairman, earlier today, a number of times there has been talk of a transition into the next government. Clearly, government coming in can review their definitions and standards they put in place to make changes. This is an area that has had some discussion through a number of the budgets and committee, as the Member has highlighted. I would say that that is definitely a possibility of another government having a look and changing the status from where we have come from and looking at this. The Stabilization Fund, one, and that is why the different pieces of it, the board training is...

The caribou question was a reference question and, in fact, the Minister of Justice has that authority to apply and put before the courts a reference question. It was that question and discussions with northern leaders that agreed to pull that back so that we could work out our own solution. I believe I had a commitment that we would work it out at our next regional leaders meeting and, unfortunately, that did not occur. We did finally have a deal worked out in the southern part of the Territory, but there is much more work to go in and I think as claims get settled that will help us in that...

Again, I guess I would draw back on even the Member’s own history as a negotiator. A framework agreement, there is no process for arbitration. When you negotiate a final deal, you do build into those final deals a process of dispute resolution, arbitration processes like what’s established in the land claims and self-governments. Setting paramouncy for legislation and so on. I think we’ve already begun to reach out to try to come to a place where we want to draw back the groups, and as I pointed out in response to a question earlier, that with response to the letter we’ve sent out we can begin...

In fact I think that’s the gist of the work that we did was to identify the shortfall that was there, we feel is there. I think the example that we would look to, and as much as Premier Fentie of the Yukon might disagree with me, I would say when you look at that agreement it’s a great agreement but it’s unimplementable. They’ve implemented some areas but not all. If you talk to the Tlicho Government they are in the process where they haven’t drawn any authorities down. They have their governing structure and they’re realizing the cost of doing that. They’re not drawing that down. I think in...