Mr. Chairman, the new Minister of Indian Affairs, Ron Irwin, has said on a few occasions that the negotiations for land claims, for treaty land entitlement or specific claims, and the process to negotiate self-government can all be one-track. It is understood that this means you can constitutionalize self-government agreements, which was not the policy of the previous federal government. The Cabinet policy still needs to be changed. The federal Minister is setting a high political target that all of us are silently hoping he can pull off. Members will recall the last Minister who vocalized this position was Warren Allmand. I think an unsurely bureaucracy
led to his demise in quick order. It is my hope that the department officials within the Minister's office and department will support their Minister and his goal of trying to change policy to meet the demands of aboriginal groups all across this country. It is welcome news for many of us. People will recall that groups have, for years, said they want to negotiate their right to self-government and have it constitutionalized as well as the claims agreements. The Dene people have consistently taken that position as far back as 1974. We hope that he can do it. We know that, at the present time, there is a political statement and agenda on the part of the federal Minister. However, the previous policy of the federal government still stands, so the Minister will see, politically, if he survives. If he can pull it off, he will have applause from all corners of this country.