Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I used the statement "win-win" before when we talked about going to the federal government, but we also need to carry that forward when we are dealing with our Indigenous governments. It has to be a win-win situation here. It can't be top-down. It can't be the GNWT making the direction. It certainly can't be the federal government making the direction.
We need to, first of all, build that trust that we have talked about, because the Indigenous governments don't have as much trust in us as we need to have. We need to bring things to the table. We need to be willing to put what we have out there, not "I'll give you a little bit and hope you don't ask for too much." Let's just be honest and put it out there and say, "This is what we have to offer."
The biggest thing that we need to do is we need to change. I keep hearing that it is GNWT and Canada against the Indigenous governments. That is not what I want to hear. We need to start hearing and practising that it is the GNWT advocating for the Indigenous governments when we talk about Ottawa. We all live on this land together. By fostering our relationships, by moving Indigenous governments into their own self-government, we will all become strong as a people. We say that all the time, so why don't we act on it? If we believe that, then that is how we should be walking.
I think that the most important thing that we need to do is actually sit down at the table, more meetings, regular meetings, build that trust with them, put out what we have to offer on the table, and then we need to work together in advocating to Canada. It can no longer be Canada directing the GNWT and forcing the Indigenous people to try to get crumbs on the bottom. It has to start with the Indigenous governments telling us what they want, the GNWT being willing to work with them in a win-win situation, and then all of us advocating to the federal government.
I want to turn it around. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.