Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I made a few notes yesterday morning because I thought I would be given the opportunity to reply to the Commissioner's address. I will use my Member's statement to make one comment about the Bourque commission. On Tuesday, Mr. Speaker, we heard from the Bourque commission. Its report is a model of conciseness and of clarity. No one should underestimate the incredible difficulties that have to be overcome if there is to be a constitution for all the peoples of the new western territory. However, we should heed the words of those who say we must stick with it, keep working on it and not give up easily, even if it looks like a hopeless task at the outset.
I am encouraged with the recommendations that we should have our own legislation covering human rights. We are the only jurisdiction in Canada without human rights legislation. This would be a good place for our own government to begin responding to the report as there seems to be widespread support for it in the public. It has been said that aboriginal people would find it difficult to accept human rights legislation. I believe we should accept the challenge of developing human rights legislation because this would be one way in which we could find out if there was enough basis, among all of the people of the Northwest Territories, to provide a common ground before we proceed toward any further major constitutional development.
Now that a newly formed structure has been devised for constitutional development, it is imperative that the work of the steering committee and the working group not be confused with the operations of the Government of the Northwest Territories especially in such areas as decentralization and community transfers. It must be clear that the work ahead has nothing to do with the operation of the present Government of the Northwest Territories. It has to do with building a new set of rules which we can all live by. We do not know exactly what it will look like and it will be some time, Mr. Speaker, before we see its face, but I am optimistic that we will make progress and eventually succeed. Thank you.