Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to present the first report of the Special Joint Committee on Division.

Executive Summary

The special joint committee was established by Motion 14-12(5) of the Legislative Assembly on February 25, 1994. This report outlines some of the activities in which the special joint committee has been involved, indicates the main issues that have received consideration and presents a number of recommendations.

Over the past decade the people of the Northwest Territories have taken enormous steps in their political evolution. The highlights include responsible government, the acquisition of more province-like powers, land claims settlements and the passage of the Nunavut Act.

These are remarkable feats, of which the people of the Northwest Territories may justly feel proud. But these accomplishments give rise to further challenges that must be met before our tasks are complete.

We must ensure that division occurs in a way that is not disruptive, either to Nunavut or to the west. We must ensure that the fiscal base of the territories is not subject to continuing erosion in the period leading up to 1999 and that the incremental costs of division are met by the federal government. We face the challenge of designing -- through the Constitutional Development Steering Committee and the constitutional conferences -- a constitutional framework for the west. These goals must be met in a climate of severe fiscal restraint.

The remaining life of this Assembly will correspond to a period of crucial decision-making that will determine how division is to proceed. In January and February, the Nunavut Implementation Commission will be carrying out a process of community consultation, prior to finalizing a major report by the end of March. This report is expected to deal with such issues as a process for determining the location of a capital for Nunavut, the administrative design of the Nunavut government, training and human resource development issues and infrastructure requirements. It is intended to provide the basis for a federal Cabinet submission for the fall of next year. It is very clear, then, that in this period we must work closely with the NIC and with Nunavut Tunngavik on the Nunavut planning process and ensure that all the cost implications are identified and provided for by the federal government. This period is a window of opportunity. What happens may determine the direction of key division events over the next four or five years. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.

For the western NWT, the next period will also be of critical importance. Here the challenge is for many diverse groups to work together to craft a governmental structure which can serve all, but respect the diversities between us. The Constitutional Development Steering Committee has been created as a forum where aboriginal and non-aboriginal interests, women's groups, tax-based municipalities and MLAs can work towards the goal of a governmental structure appropriate to the western NWT that can be put in place when division occurs. The holding of a major constitutional conference from January 19th to 22nd of next year, preceded by a period of community consultations that is already under way, will be a benchmark in this process. Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I would ask my co-chair, Mr. Todd, to present the balance of the report. Mahsi.