Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think we simply have to look at our recent election. People across the Northwest Territories voted for who they thought would best represent their situation. It was not biased, and will not be in the future, on what your status in the Northwest Territories is.

We have to build on a true partnership. Partnerships start, I believe, from the ground level up, and start with integrity. We are going to have one, large task to show the aboriginal governments of the Northwest Territories that we mean business this time around.

We do not have a lot of control over some of the issues that are facing this government, mainly because we do not have control over the decision making process that comes directly out of Ottawa.

I know there is a reluctance for the aboriginal governments to recognize this government as well, and that is based on past relationships.

For example, when people come into my office in Inuvik, I do not check them off the list as being a Gwich'in, or an Inuvialuit, an immigrant, a non-aboriginal Northerner. I believe we are here to represent everybody equally.

In doing that, we must also show the land claims groups and aboriginal governments are equal partners to us. How do we do that? That is going to be one of the things we are going to have to wrestle with.

As it clearly shows in previous governments, there is no magic answer to pull out of the hat. I believe we have to start building on respect and trust with one another. How does that occur?

That starts when our first meeting with the intergovernmental forum, or the aboriginal governments one on one. When we make a statement to them, we have to stick with it.

All of us have to be involved in the process as well. I do not see this as being a portion of this government going out and doing something, and coming back and updating the rest. If we are going to build true partnerships and unity in the Northwest Territories, it has to be done with everybody having equal participation in the process.

That is where the intergovernmental forum comes into play. How do we do that? We truly need to address that. As rich as we are in the Northwest Territories for our minerals, oil and gas, we are considered by the large corporations as being one of the most unsettled areas, so much so that they are afraid to come and invest in the North. They are not sure what is going to happen. That hurts everybody.

That is why our hand, as I see it, is being forced here, which is good. It is time we sit down as public and aboriginal governments and set out our priorities. If we fail, both groups fail.