Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to make a few general remarks, as I have to leave very shortly. If I remember the question, I believe that as the national leader of the Inuit, that the Charlottetown Accord is a best possible compromise for Inuit and other aboriginal peoples in this country.
For the first time, in the history of this country, Canada has made good on its promise, that Inuit and other aboriginal peoples can be full and equal participants in constitutional decision making. There are a number of elements of the constitutional accord that were very difficult for us to accept, but the gains in the accord outweighed the negative impact.
Some of the things that were very difficult to accept for aboriginal peoples, I will just give you a few examples, that I have been stating over the last number of months. What was difficult to accept, was a lack of a constitutional entrenched financing agreement. The judiciability of the inherent right being delayed for five year, and the lack of a guaranteed full participation in all First Ministers' Conferences by the aboriginal peoples.
I think that the important part of the self-government package for Inuit, and other aboriginal peoples, is that the self-government package contains a number of checks and balances, to ensure that federal and provincial governments act in cooperation, and in collaboration, with one another. There are a number of provisions that would discourage one level of government acting in a domination of another.
It may take a number of years, as the Premier has said, for us in the territories to ascend into provincehood, but what the Charlottetown Accord does is that it provides a stepping stone towards that goal. Now, Mr. Chairman, with those remarks, I feel that the Charlottetown Accord is something that is of such significance towards the human rights of aboriginal peoples, that we have no choice but to support it, and to encourage all Canadians to vote "yes" for it, because of the significant progress on aboriginal human rights, this is an opportunity for Canada to meet aboriginal peoples needs for the first time, in a just and equitable way.
With those remarks, Mr. Chairman, I regret that I have other commitments, and must thank the Legislative Assembly for making this opportunity to myself and to the other leaders. I hope that this is not going to be the last time that northerners hear from aboriginal people in this country on the contents, and I will assure you that it is not. We still have a long debate until October 26.
I would like to end by saying thank you very much for this opportunity.
---Applause