Floyd Roland

Let’s put the full context on the table. As we’ve been trying to say and as I’ve said in many of my statements today, this process has been nine years in the making, that has involved aboriginal governments and will continue to do so if they want to move with us. We have to yet make a decision if we proceed with this or not. But let’s be clear. If a decision is not to proceed, there are no more discussions to be had, because the AIP has been signed off by the negotiators who have reached their mandate. So it is time for decisions of the North. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as soon as this news came out, we were on the situation and a letter was drafted and then sent in. We will be able to share that with Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The transfer of authority for public lands and resources to the Government of the Northwest Territories will create major benefits and opportunities for our people.

Approval of the proposed AIP will be a critical step in our negotiations with Canada, but it is just another step. It is not the final agreement and it will not be legally binding.

Throughout our negotiations, there have been other times when the parties have signed agreements confirming their plans and intentions. We saw this when Canada, the GNWT and aboriginal governments endorsed the Memorandum of Intent...

Mr. Speaker, I think the Member, as well, has past experience in negotiations. As they go to an AIP, once the initialling happens, at that point, then, you have your technical briefings, have the discussion about what it means as you enter into then the final set of negotiations. We haven’t even entered in. We haven’t even initialled an agreement-in-principle. In fact, as I said earlier, aboriginal governments have been part of this negotiation, informing of this AIP, especially in the Chapter 6 portion of that. The decision made was expressed at a number of meetings by the federal negotiator...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess we need some clarification on this. We have a couple of areas we work in that we would determine, and through the Executive, the NGO, non-government organizations who deliver programs through department initiatives, and then we have the volunteer sector that the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs is involved in.

On the NGO side, the funding stabilization side, multi-year funding process, that work has been ongoing and we have put in a funding package to try to help stabilize on the NGO side. Thank you.

As I’ve said many times, any new initiatives that we would look at putting in place or expanding the role of within departments, we go through our business planning process and look to Members when they make recommendations on any potential changes or new initiatives we’d like to see put in our business plan. So for us, we look at key areas during the budget development process. Thank you.

I’m aware in communities and trying to strengthen the role of the volunteer organizations and those organizations serving our communities in a very, I guess it would be a supportive capacity. I know the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is working through the Volunteer Organization Development Contribution Policy. As well, we continue to do, through MACA, the Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program that they continue to help.

I know that there has been call for establishing of an office within Executive. We have not been able to get there at this point, as we have gone through our business planning to look at what options are there. I’d have to get back to see what the request was from committee in this area and then be able to provide a better response.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Letter of Instruction to Commissioner George Tuccaro. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This process, as I said in my statement, of the engagement, role, involvement from chief negotiators to legal counsel from the aboriginal groups, they have been involved in this. They are well aware of what’s in there. We are as well. In fact, as I stated, we stand by the government’s position on self-government and the inherent right. We stand by that. This agreement-in-principle will not take away authority from any aboriginal group that has their rights established through treaty and the modern treaties, being the land claims and self-government agreements. We stand by that in our...