The Sahtu Dene and Metis participation will be through membership on public government boards and through consultation. The federal government and the Government of the Northwest Territories have also committed in the agreement to enter into negotiations with the Sahtu Dene and Metis in order to reach agreements on self-government.

Mr. Speaker, as the MLA for the Sahtu, I would like to acknowledge the people who made this land claim agreement possible. In particular, Mr. George Cleary, then president of the Sahtu Tribal Council and now president of the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated; and Mr. Norman Yakelaya, the chief negotiator, who were very active in leading the Sahtu region during the negotiation of this agreement. I also wish to acknowledge the role played by Mr. George Barnaby, the vice-president of the Sahtu Tribal Council.

I would also like to acknowledge Mr. Dan Yakelaya, who negotiated the implementation plan for the Sahtu final agreement on behalf of the Sahtu Tribal Council. Finally, I would like to thank the following chiefs and presidents of the Dene bands and Metis locals in the Sahtu region who, over a period of years, put in effort and contributed to the conclusions of these claims negotiations: Chief Raymond Taniton, Chief Everett Kakfwi, Chief Isidore Manuel, Chief Freddie Doctor, Chief Richard Kochon; and, Rocky Norwegian, Roy Doolittle and Wilfred McNeely, Jr. who are the presidents of the Metis locals within the Sahtu region.

In conclusion, I wish to publicly wish all my constituents the very best as they begin the implementation of the Sahtu land claim agreement. Thank you.

---Applause