Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a reply to a question asked by Mrs. Marie-Jewell on December 11, 1991, regarding an update on the status of the Northern Accord. Mr. Speaker, between the fall of 1989 and the spring of 1990, the Government of the Northwest Territories, with the direct participation of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut and the Dene/Metis, did develop a comprehensive proposal for the finalization of the accord. The accord will see the transfer of oil and gas management responsibilities from the federal government to the Government of the Northwest Territories. The proposal contains provisions which guarantee that the accord will not diminish the ability of the federal government and aboriginal claimant groups to negotiate and implement land claims.
The proposal was tabled with the federal government in May, 1990. However, we did not proceed with formal negotiations at that time because we had not completed an agreement with the Yukon on the Beaufort Sea. There were also significant uncertainties about the status of the Dene/Metis land claim, and more specifically, with the issues of aboriginal subsurface benefits agreements. The federal government refused to provide for these agreements in the claims but had not indicated to the GNWT how they could be provided through the Northern Accord.
Last spring we were able to successfully complete the negotiation of an agreement with Yukon regarding oil and gas management responsibilities in the Beaufort Sea. Furthermore, Minister Siddon has formally committed to transfer to the GNWT, through the accord, the additional powers to legislate in respect of aboriginal subsurface agreements on settlement lands as part of the Gwich'in final agreement.
The federal government has not yet provided a full response to our proposal. The informal discussions that we have had to date indicate that we can expect that the fiscal and financial elements of the accord will be the most difficult to resolve. Without an adequate fiscal and financial package, I must stress that this government will not be willing to accept the transfer.
I cannot predict how long it will take before we can arrive at a satisfactory agreement, but I will certainly inform this House of any developments which alter the present status of the accord.