Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I know that people are a bit anxious about proceeding as quickly as they can with this particular item, and I know that probably people are getting a bit annoyed, but the fact is, that I think the questions that are being asked are reasonable ones, and they are getting reasonable answers.
I indicated earlier that there is no doubt that, eventually, I will be supporting the report itself, but there are still a lot of questions. I think the important thing is, with great respect to my colleagues, the matter that is being put before our people is the report, the Charlottetown Consensus Report. It is not the legal text. The legal text is a document that is going to give detail to the report. I think the problem is that the report, itself, does not give substantive answers to the kinds of discussions that took place and the kinds of agreements that were reached at the table.
I want to say to my colleagues, I probably read every document that was prepared for the Special Committee on Constitutional Reform, trying to keep up to the work of the committee. I know that the clerk, or at least Mr. Schauerte, will probably be happy on the day that he does not have to give me copies of your reports, or copies of the works that have been done across the country. The fact is, I am interested. I take an interest in what is happening in our country, and I take an interest in what is happening in our Constitution, and how that Constitution affects not only aboriginal people, but the people of the Northwest Territories.
It incumbent upon us, as leaders, to be concerned. If we are not, then we are in the wrong business.
I want to say, Mr. Chairman, that I could probably sit here for another three days asking all these questions, but I will be proposing an amendment to the proposals that are being made, and when we get to them, if people want to vote against it, that is there business. I do have major questions, and I know that every M.L.A. is going to be asking these questions that I want to ask right now, but you do not know which questions they are. You do not want to sit here, either. The fact is Cabinet wants to get on with their budget, and Members here want to get on with their budget, and the fact is, that is the case.
So nobody wants to take the time, and what is sad about it is that it is probably going to be far more important in the long-term, the vote on October 26, is going to be more important, and its long-term consequences are going to be far more important, than the passing of our budget, and much more significant. We do not understand the details, or the agreements that were reached, and my view is the people of the north, the aboriginal people included, are no further ahead, I think what you will find is that there is a need to change policies, in our own government, to reflect the agreement. I have not heard yet from our own government, and maybe at sometime I will hear from the Government Leader, or Ministers, or the Minister responsible for Constitutional Development and Aboriginal Rights. Significant changes are going to occur in our Assembly, in government policy, that will, in fact, reflect the comments made by Mr. Kakfwi, and that is, there are no restrictions on aboriginal self-government. None. If you remove them from the concept, you will recognize them only within the framework of public government. That has to go, but that has not been stated in this House.
You have to leave it as I agree, and I support my colleague, that there are no pre-conditions. You, yourself, have to make those statements. Your actions will show to the aboriginal people how serious we really are in that matter. So, I think to accommodate my colleagues, so that we can get on with other things, I hope that during question period, I will be able to ask these questions of my colleagues, to deal with these matters, and to deal with other matters that people feel are more important. I will get on with concluding my general comments right now, because these questions are not important for the people.