Thank you, Mr. Chair. It has always been my view, due to the demographics, that it is not possible at this time to see a proliferation of governments. It is my view the people of the Territories are being well served by the Government of the Northwest Territories.
Many of us set out in the early 70s' to gain recognition of our rights as aboriginal people. Our right to self-government. I have been there through the years and I have held at the highest political level of government in this country that the right to self- government is in the Constitution of Canada. I was there to help achieve that, because I support my people when they say they want to have the right to set up their own government.
But I also support and respect those people who choose and elect people like myself to represent them in this government. We have to make sure this government serves those people that elect us in the best, most efficient way possible.
We also have to support aboriginal leaders who strive to obtain funds of aboriginal government negotiated, recognized and implemented, so they too can provide an option to the people. Those people who elect to live under an aboriginal government should have every right to do so. They should be respected, recognized and given the proper resources to do that.
How do they all fit together? At this time, it is all starting to grow from the community level. Maybe there is an Akaitcho government. I do know the people in Lutsel'ke will have a community government. Fort Resolution will have a community government. The Yellowknives will have a community government.
The community governments have the inherent right to choose to put it at the regional level and the territorial level. That is their business. That is what the process of negotiations is going to be. There may be a regional Akaitcho government. Aboriginal governments may elect to be part of a larger, central government. How they are going to fit together is what they are going to work on.
There is some order and logic to the process, even though it has not really unfolded yet. Thank you.