Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will review the matter. I want to indicate to the honourable Member that the matter of removing or, in fact, having Hay River as the headquarters requires regulation change and I am not prepared to amend any regulations on the matter of headquarters.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Pudluk.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the written response has been tabled. That was my understanding. Could the Clerk check?

That is not within the rules, either it is in the knowledge of the Premier that it has been tabled or it is not in the knowledge of the Premier. Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, it has been filed with the Clerk.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. It was filed with the Clerk today. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister responsible for Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. During discussion in committee of the whole when we were dealing with Bill 17, we were talking about the northern accord and that the department is negotiating the northern accord with the federal government. This northern accord, I understand, is transferring administration of oil and gas to the Government of the Northwest Territories. There was one comment that the Minister made which has been bothering me since that time. She indicated that the northern accord transfer is tied to the Gwich'in and Sahtu land claims. I understand that in the land claims process, the provision for resources is between the claimant group and the federal government, and I was wondering how the territorial government's negotiations in the northern accord are tied into this whole process. Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, in the overall Dene land claim there are certain provisions that are arrangements that the aboriginal people have as their private interests, whether it be sub-surface, surface or other areas in the claim. There was a difficulty with the federal government in the negotiations in that with private interest ownership, how do you deal with the additional problem of employment and access to benefits relating to a development? At one time we did have, in the territorial government, a soft arrangement on northern benefits. So, if something is going on, how do you tie into that and how do you relate it to the people of the Northwest Territories? There were some things you could get in the claim, but one of the other areas they would not negotiate was individual aboriginal specific interest in terms of employment training and areas in that regard. What was thought of in the claimant group, that if the territorial government was able to provide the management and decisions on that, that can be tied into an arrangement with the aboriginal groups. So it is not specific to the claim, but the aboriginal groups felt it was necessary to further define opportunities that would come from development when it was not in the claim.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

So what you are saying it is essential that this northern accord be negotiated and completed if that is the case, because it is tied into benefits that will go to the claimant groups. If it does not go, then what happens to the benefits that hopefully will accrue to these claimant groups? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I guess if the northern accord does not proceed, I would say that some of the regional claimant groups will insist from the federal government that additional benefits have to be attached to future claims. This was a way of taking care of an area that the federal government felt they could not deal away at the time. It is important to claimant groups, especially in the areas where something is going on. The importance is if there was an economic opportunity out of oil and gas in the Gwich'in area, it would be important for them that the accord be dealt with. However, there are other avenues that possibly the claimant group can use with the oil and gas industry if an activity was to take place. It takes a great deal of extra effort because the rules are not clear and defined on who should be dealt with, the nearest community or the group that wants to reap the benefits from the resource development. I would assume that if the accord does not proceed, we would just have to deal with it in the way we are dealing with some of the other activities, trying to access more benefits to local people. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason why I raised this issue is I come from an area where we are not presently negotiating any claims. There are other areas which are negotiating claims. It puts us in a very awkward position that in my area, if we do not agree with the northern accord for one reason or another and it is essential that the claim goes through for the Gwich'in and the Sahtu, it puts us in a very awkward position. There is a call for expediency of negotiations of the northern accord by claimant groups, in the meantime, there are some of us who are not negotiating yet, so if this northern accord goes ahead before we negotiate, it puts us in a very awkward position. Has the Government Leader and the government taken that into consideration? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, it has been taken into consideration. I realize that some areas have not settled a claim, but as I have tried to explain, this is an area that the federal government was not willing to negotiate with the aboriginal groups anyway. The issue around the northern accord is how do we secure benefits for all the people in the area? It is not something that will be negotiated in a claim anyway. I do not believe that, at this point in time, unless a new government takes a totally different stance on claims' issues, it is intended to take away from any of the aboriginal claims. Initially, when the total claim was together, the Dene claim, it was felt that this arrangement was important to capture the areas that were not available in the claims.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So you are saying the federal government was not willing to negotiate certain benefits with the claimant groups. Therefore, the Government of the Northwest Territories took on the role, on their behalf, to provide these benefits for them. That is when the two claimant groups were together, but they are not together any more. It is a different ball game altogether. I was wondering if this government is going to be talking to the other regions that have not negotiated their claims on this particular area. Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, we can continue to talk to them, but as the Member knows, this northern accord is presently in abeyance, unless, at a very high political level, someone decides to move on with it. Yes, we will continue to speak with the people, whether it is with the Gwich'in, the claimant groups or the people who are not pursuing a claim at this time. I think the importance of the accord for all people is to get a handle on oil and gas resource development so we can more easily capture those benefits. So, yes, we will continue to talk and any time there is a request for a workshop so that communications can be better or new people can be brought in to understand what we are attempting to do, we will commit to do that.