Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon to all the honourable Members of this House.
As Minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, most of my agenda will be driven by the commitment by Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories to divide the Northwest Territories in 1999. While the task is challenging, processes are in place and planning for the establishment of a Nunavut territorial government is well under way. The circumstances in the West are much more complex.
The Constitutional Development Steering Committee held a successful conference last January which reached consensus on 22 principles to guide the western constitutional process. One critically important point of consensus was the recognition that aboriginal self-government processes and the public government process are equally important, that they are closely linked and that self-government processes must catch up to the CDSC process for either to succeed.
Timing is critical. Division will occur in 1999, but new legislation to replace the NWT Act for the West may need to be drafted two years in advance for introduction into Parliament. The next federal election must be held by October 1998, at the very latest, and could well take place in 1997. We have a two-year window of opportunity in which to move ahead on self-government and western constitutional development, or we may find ourselves faced with the status quo when the new Western Territory comes into being.
We must accept the advice of the CDSC conference and ensure that the self-government and western constitutional processes are proceeding in tandem and as quickly as possible. To do so means we must find better ways to communicate and cooperate with aboriginal organizations in Nunavut and the West.
The aboriginal summit, a group comprised of leaders of western aboriginal organizations, shares this objective and have expressed a desire to meet with Cabinet. Premier Morin has responded by arranging a first meeting between Cabinet and the aboriginal summit for this Friday to begin exploring common interests and to consider the establishment of a more formal mechanism for ongoing discussions. A similar meeting is being organized with Nunavut-based organizations early in the new year.
Members of this House should be aware that self-government discussions have been going on between Canada, the GNWT and most of the western aboriginal organizations for some time. A self-government conference scheduled for March 1996 is being coordinated by the Sahtu Secretariat on behalf of aboriginal summit members. The GNWT is cooperating with and supporting the efforts of aboriginal organizations to accelerate self-government talks with Canada.
The tasks before us are challenging, especially in light of the time constraints. However, we can forge ahead successfully if we are willing to work together for our common goals. I will do my best to help build the consensus we need to succeed. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause