Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In 1979, the Dene Chiefs met here in Yellowknife in February. At that meeting, the President, George Erasmus, made a proposal that we, as Dene people, should develop a strategy to put a Dene Member of Parliament in office in Ottawa. That we, as Dene people, should take part in the territorial elections that were going to be called later that year so that we can become effective participants in the decisions of this Legislature to take over control in those areas that this Legislature had, and to continue through the strategy to take on more and more responsibility for ourselves here in the north, and we would do it in partnership with everyone that lives in the Northwest Territories. I did not agree with the strategy, but the chiefs adopted it.
It has been my view since then that we are all compelled to support that strategy. It is my position that this government has now become effectively a part of the Dene strategy to assume more and more responsibility in the day to day affairs that we have. While some of our leaders do not recognize this government as a legitimate government - one that they have mandated to represent them as part of their inherent right to self-government - it is still an instrument to advance the work towards assuming and more responsibility. There is a way to get all aboriginal people, all aboriginal leaders on side in a devolution agreement. But, I believe they will agree to support this government's initiative, to assume more responsibility over inland waters, land and water management, oil, gas and minerals. The key is to hear the conditions that they insisted on and to reach agreement with them on it. Theirs is a very strong position in regard to self-government. They do have a right to know that some of the royalties and taxes that will come from development of resources in the lands up here should go this government because it is a public central government. Some of those resources and taxes should also go to aboriginal governments since they will also be providing services and programs to residents. These are the kind of things that they are looking for and these are the things that we can give them. Thank you.