Mr. Speaker, when the commission was set up, it was done in the closing hours of the last Legislative Assembly. I think Members will recall that in the last session there were some questions as to why funding was provided the way it was and, for instance, why there was no funding given for a public campaign on the plebiscite in the West. These were matters that the last Legislature did in haste, and the budget that was provided for the commission was supported by the eastern Members because they were anxious to get on with Nunavut and the plebiscite, and they understood and supported the need on the part of the western MLAs to come up with a process, to begin a process to begin work on a constitution for a western territory.
Since then, as you know, the commission has spent its money and we have gone into a deficit budget. So when we had a meeting with the political leaders, part of my argument for taking time over the spring and summer to review the commission report and to allow it to go to the assemblies and to have the aboriginal organizations took at it carefully, is that in my view, if there is going to be a phase two, it has to be a very well thought out, well coordinated, package deal that has the full support of the Inuvialuit, the Metis, the Dene, and the different organizations that represent the Dene, and, as well, it has to be clear and understood by the Members of this Legislature. They do not want to jeopardize the ongoing work required for the western part of the Territories to work on a constitution by puffing a hastily developed package together. So I think whatever we do, it is going to take some argument to get all Members to provide funding for continuing on to phase two of the constitutional process.
So that was the reason for it. I think there will be an ongoing stage because that is one of the conditions for division: that there be an acceptable constitution developed for the western territory before division should proceed.