Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I understand what the Member is saying and I would have liked to hear him say that the federal government is very slow and they should have jumped the gun in delivering a policy but they haven't. The government said that they were going to deliver it last fall; last fall came and went and there is still no paper from the federal government. The last we heard it was due this month, in April. As a government, we had tried to take a positive approach. I did not want, as a Minister, to be told that I'm taking an ad hoc approach to self-government negotiations. I had asked the ministry, and the Cabinet had supported it, to come up with a draft that would tell the aboriginal groups and the public how this government is going to conduct itself and on what principles it would build its positions in negotiations.

The officials have just sent the draft to the aboriginal groups, the Association of Municipalities and the federal government for feedback, and if it appears that the aboriginal groups all want us to stay out, that they don't want a draft mandate and policy, then that will go to Cabinet. I'm preparing to go to Cabinet in the middle of May for a decision on this. We may defer, we may adopt it, we may withdraw it completely and take an ad hoc approach to self-government negotiations.

I should let the Member know that I think it would be totally contrary to the interests of anyone if no one in the north tries to capture an opportunity to put focus on the self-government aspirations of the six regional groups that make up the western part of the territory. How are we going to make sure that the Inuvialuit, the Gwich'in, the Sahtu, the Dogrib, the Deh Cho, Treaty 8, the Metis Nation and the Metis of the South Slave and the North Slave all work towards self-government that has some semblance of commonality? We are categorically against the balkanization of a western territory; but the federal government, on the other hand, may not be. They may be very happy to see the aboriginal groups set up little enclaves for themselves. This government is not interested in seeing that. If there's some other way to ensure that people get to appreciate the merits of having a common front of all aboriginal people and northern people to deal with self-government issues, political and constitutional issues, then we have to provide that direction, that leadership. That's what we're trying to do. Thank you.