Mahsi, Mr. Abernethy. Next on my list I have Ms. Green from Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Ms. Green. I'll turn it over to Mr. Abernethy, Premier candidate.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I think something like that would be more valuable towards the end of this particular government. It would give us time, actually, to do the work necessary to help people understand what consensus government is and what consensus government can do.

We need to work within this particular system to improve our transparency, improve our communications and improve our information flow. I don't know how many times I went to doors during the last election where individuals came to me and said, “Glen, you need to put this program in the Government of the Northwest Territories,” or “you need to do this,” and my response to them was, “We already have it. We already do that,”
but people don't know. I think the same is true for consensus government. People don't know how it works. So, I think, over the next couple of years, this group of 18 and the Premier and the Members of Cabinet have a real opportunity to be collaborative, to work together, to help people understand how consensus government can and should work. Towards the end of the Assembly, we'd be better positioned to have that public dialogue, prior to the next election, so people might be more engaged. I'd hate to see another election where we have voter turnout to the degree that we actually had the voter turnout in this last election.

But I like the idea. I think it's something we should shoot for towards the end of the Assembly, once we've had an opportunity to make this system work the way it should. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Mahsi, Mr. Abernethy. Now I'll turn it over to the Premier candidate Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. The consensus system is about more than just one individual. Decisions are made collectively and reflect the will of the Assembly and Cabinet.

As a Premier, my goal is to provide leadership to implement the decisions we have taken collectively. I'm not interested in simply giving direction.

A review on consensus government I believe is long overdue. I think that we have to move away from hearing about the faults of consensus government only once every four years. I think that we have to be prepared to listen to the people and find out exactly what their concerns about consensus government are and find ways to fix it.

I'm prepared to have the Minister responsible for transparency and democratic engagement and have him or her begin work on an open government that could include looking at and reviewing consensus government and fulfil public expectations about what consensus government should be all about. I would ask the new Minister to prepare and table a work plan in the Assembly in the New Year.

Also, we have other bodies that could do work in this area. We have the Electoral Boundaries Commission that does work in this regard. But certainly if Members feel that consensus government is not working properly, we have to find a way to fix it, to make it work better, and a review would certainly be one way to do it, and I would support that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Mahsi, Mr. McLeod. I have next on my list, Mr. Thompson from Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect, and congratulations on your position. To both individuals who want to become Premier, thank you very much for stepping up and being leaders for our new government.

During the 17^th Assembly there were some challenging negotiations with Aboriginal groups as they were trying to settle the process. In the Nahendeh riding we have two that are very close to being ratified, according to the Dehcho grand chief and Acho Dene negotiating team. However, it seems to be that the Government of the Northwest Territories seems to be the one putting up the barriers.

Therefore, can you please tell me what you will do differently so that these two processes and others in the Northwest Territories can be signed and ratified in the 18^th Assembly, so that we can have clarity and certainty in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Thompson. Now I'll turn it over to Mr. Bob McLeod, Premier candidate.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I want to thank the Member for providing his question ahead of time.

As I indicated in my nomination speech, I'm committed to finalizing and implementing land resources and self-government agreements throughout the Northwest Territories. Negotiations on land claims, self-government and land use plans have dragged on for far too many years. We need to make setting and implementing claims a clear political priority of this Assembly. I have committed to establishing a joint committee of Cabinet and Regular Members to provide oversight and give direction to the negotiating process.

Getting a deal that is good for all parties remains a major priority for me. I believe that the style of negotiations needs to be changed. The old way is far too adversarial, it's taking far too long and costing far too much in time, energy and money. That's why I've indicated that interest-based negotiations would benefit all parties. Mandates need to be flexible and respect that each of the Aboriginal governments are faced with different circumstances, and in many cases, the challenges they face are unique to their region and their people. It is time to focus more on collaboration and partnerships, and that means changing the way we interact with our Aboriginal governments. I am prepared to meet with the leadership of the Dehcho First Nations, Acho Dene Koe First Nation and the leaders of other Aboriginal governments that are in negotiations, the NWT Metis Nation, with the GNWT and Canada at our first opportunity. In fact, I commit here to meeting with the leaders within 45 days and presenting new offers within 90 days.

Let me be clear, the main contentious issues that have prolonged negotiations between the Aboriginal governments and our government have been centred on the amount of land available or the land quantum to be selected by the Aboriginal government.

Shortly after meeting with the Aboriginal leaders, I will meet with the new federal Minister of Indigenous Affairs and let her know that an increase to the land quantum offer needs to be considered. The increase has my support.

In the case of Acho Dene Koe, I remain committed to finalizing this agreement. Part of the problem is their traditional territory includes land in BC and the Yukon. I will work with the Premiers of those two jurisdictions to find a resolution that benefits Acho Dene Koe. I will direct our officials to get on the land selection in our territory immediately.

Another issue is with the mandate where, with the Acho Dene Koe splitting out from the Dehcho First Nations, there is a mandate that requires, on a regional basis, they not establish new processes but they use joint processes, which has been a challenge and I think that is something that we can fix by reviewing the mandate.

In regards to Akaitcho and the Northwest Territories Metis Nation and their negotiation process, immediately following a meeting with their leadership and once we understand the outstanding issues, I commit to finding innovative ways to get these negotiations on track and finalize them in a timely manner.

We are presently negotiating self-government agreements with other Aboriginal governments. The Deline Agreement was recently ratified, and I will engage with those Aboriginal governments to listen to them on finding new approaches to finalizing agreements in a timely manner. Thank you for the question. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. McLeod. I will turn it over to Mr. Abernethy, candidate for Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I believe it is going to be a priority of this Assembly to move forward with land resource and self-government agreements to get to AIPs or conclusion of agreements. It's going to be a priority of this Assembly, and it needs to be, frankly.

There is a lot of uncertainty here in the Northwest Territories for exploration and development as a result of significant amounts of land and interim withdrawals, and a lot of uncertainty on where people can look and where they can't. We need to work with our partners.

I don't know exactly why we went off the rails with the Dehcho and I am committed to the leadership in the Dehcho as early as I can so that we can start beginning that dialogue on how we went off the rails in our negotiations and, more importantly, how we get back on track in the Dehcho, how we can get back on track with all the other Aboriginal partners and governments that we're working with here in the Northwest Territories.

There has been some reference to a special committee. I understand the point of that but I don't necessarily agree. I believe we have a committee called P and P who should be informed and updated. This is a territorial issue; this isn't a regional issue. This is affecting all people in the Northwest Territories. As Premier, I want to work with P and P and Regular Members and Cabinet to find a way forward, and I will work with all Members to find a way forward.

We need to work with the federal government. We need to make sure that we have a relationship with the federal government and that they understand the realities here in the Northwest Territories. We are now responsible for land management as a result of devolution. This was their responsibility previously and they did it from afar. We are here; we know how our people are affected by things like land claims. So I commit to working with the Dehcho, I commit to working with all of the partners to find out why we went off the rails, find a way to get back on the rails. We, as a government, have to be willing to reopen our mandate to make sure that our mandate is realistic, so the Dehcho and all the other organizations of governments that we happen to be negotiating with.

It's about relationships. It's about working together. It's about having the ability to sit down at a table and have a frank conversation about what's right, what's just and what is in the best interests of the people of the Northwest Territories.

At the end of the day, we must all work together to ensure that all people of the NWT can share lands, resources, power and hope for their future, while at the same time respecting our similarities and our differences. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Mahsi, Mr. Abernethy. Next on my list, Mr. O'Reilly, Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker-elect. Congratulations for agreeing to serve us all here in the Assembly. In 2015-16, GNWT will raise more money from taxes on alcohol and cigarettes - $37 million - than it will keep from resource revenues - $30 million.

What commitments will each of the candidates make to examine new and/or increased revenues to help us pay for much needed programs and services, rather than budget cuts? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. O'Reilly. I'll turn it over to Mr. Abernethy, Premier candidate.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. We heard during the campaign that cost of living is affecting people in negative ways here in the Northwest Territories, so we need to be cautious about increasing the cost of living and, therefore, cautious about raising taxes.

There are a couple of areas that we can explore, raising luxury taxes on things like tobacco and liquor, but that won't bring in significant money. It will bring in some but it won't bring in significant dollars, but it is certainly something that we can look at. As a matter of fact, we used to have the highest rates on tobacco, until about six months ago when Manitoba actually creeped ahead of us, so I'd like to be number one in that category again.

But if we really want to increase our revenues, we need to get our people working. As I indicated earlier, we have a large number of individuals 18 to 24 who don't even consider themselves to be part of the workforce here in the Northwest Territories. Many of those people are receiving some degree or some level of support. If we can get those individuals working through strategic, focused training on a diversified economy - on farming, fishing, renewable technologies, those types of things - we can get them working in the communities. They can be the experts in the communities to deliver these particular programs; they'll be off income support and they'll be paying taxes. We need to focus on getting those people to work, to help increase our revenues and decrease our expenses as a government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Mahsi, Mr. Abernethy. Now I'll turn it over to Mr. Bob McLeod, Premier candidate.

Thank you, Speaker-elect. I agree that we need to find ways to increase our revenues. The downturn in the economy has affected our revenues significantly, and we need to find ways to replenish those revenues.

I think that the possibility of increasing taxes is always there, but I'd be reluctant to go in that direction, other than taxes on tobacco and alcohol. I think that also provides incentives for people to improve their physical health as well.

We, as a government, review our fees on an annual basis and increase them on a regular basis so that we maximize those revenues. The best way to increase our revenues is to find opportunities to attract investment into our territory and to create business opportunities so people can find jobs. I think we have to remove some of the trade barriers for foreign investment. Of course, I'll work very closely with the Regular Members and Cabinet so that we can find innovative ways to increase our revenues to help us pay for our much needed programs and services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Mahsi, Mr. McLeod. Members, anything further? Mr. Testart, Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect, and congratulations. Voters voted for change. It wasn't just to change the faces at the table here, it was to change how we do business and to get results.

As part of this government's leadership process, the Premier and the Executive Council have a responsibility of establishing a clear and concise mandate to govern the next four years of the 18^th Assembly.

My question to the candidates is: Are you willing and will you commit to restructuring the senior management and operational structure of the GNWT and public service to better serve the mandate and the people of the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Mr. Bob McLeod, Premier candidate.

Thank you, Speaker-elect. I must say welcome to the government because that's what government is all about, restructuring and reviewing mandates and making changes so that the government is as efficient and effective as possible. I think we do that on a regular basis, and we will be doing that again this year with this new 18^th Assembly. We will work very closely with all Members, so we can all agree on what the best future is for the government and how we can move forward in an effective and efficient manner to deliver the programs and services to our people here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Abernethy, Premier candidate.

Thank you for the question. If the Member is asking will I move deputy heads around if becoming Premier, the answer is yes. There is absolutely benefit in moving individuals around. Deputy heads are not intended to be technical experts; they are intended to be leaders, leaders who can lead any file. I think there is value in moving some of these individuals around and bring a breath of fresh air as well as new ideas into different departments. So, absolutely, I am willing to move some of the deputies around.

If the Member is talking about restructuring and changing complete departments, we heard, during the session on the 14^th, some suggestion that we actually look at the structures of departments. We are here to provide a service. We are here to provide services to the people of the Northwest Territories, and the government is our vehicle. If it isn't working the way it is supposed to, we need to be prepared to change it and do business in a different way. We've heard in this last election that people want things done differently. We need to be open to that possibility and be open to changing the way we do business, which means we may have to structure...(inaudible). That's not just the job of the Premier, that's the job of this Assembly. This Assembly is going to have to come up with ideas how to change the departments that we provide here in the Northwest Territories.

I am committed to working with the Members to explore all opportunities and ways to improve our services, enhance our services, and that may require restructuring of the public service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.