Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to make a few comments on the proposed Education Act. First of all, I have similar concerns to my colleagues with regard to aboriginal rights and also a choice of education, specifically for status Indians.

Mr. Chairman, although the act has been amended in the preamble to reflect section 35 of the Canadian Constitution of 1982, I am glad it is reflected, but I don't think it goes far enough. Mr. Chairman, the issue of the treaties, aboriginal rights and choice of education is a concern to me, especially as a parent and a status person. In relation to that, Mr. Chairman, I also have another concern which relates back to the Education Act. There is another component that we haven't touched on or the department has addressed to date. Let me backtrack, Mr. Chairman, because it does reflect on the Education Act.

First of all, in 1955, we had an agreement between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the federal government with regard to education for Dene people in the north and the Inuit. We had an agreement in terms of finances and the type of schooling that the Dene children should have. It is all spelled out in that document, which was signed on April 1, 1955.

As time went on, Mr. Chairman, in 1969, the employees of the federal government were transferred to our government. A new agreement should have been drafted then, but unfortunately it wasn't. There was just a letter signed by the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs to transfer employees to our government and all the assets. Mr. Chairman, in that transfer, I think, at that time, the government should have renegotiated a new deal with the government, or even now, because it reflects on the Education Act. Even the Standing Committee on Legislation has made numerous recommendations pertaining to financial resources; specifically for inclusive schooling, accommodation and so forth. There are a lot of issues that relate to the proposed Education Act.

Mr. Chairman, the other component I'm making reference to hasn't been addressed and I'm just wondering when the government is going to revise or renegotiate the agreement between ourselves and the federal government. As you are well aware, Mr. Chairman, resources are scarce nowadays, especially at the federal level and at our level. One of the other problems, in relation to this, Mr. Chairman, is funding that comes from the federal government is all rolled into the formula financing agreement.

Back in 1987, my colleague from the Deh Cho questioned the Minister of the day with regard to education of status Indians in the Northwest Territories. He asked a number of questions

to see if we had a number of agreements in place. They still exist on our books today, Mr. Chairman. Part of the question was in relation to funding; if the department was aware if we were being adequately funded by the federal government. In 1987 when the Minister of the day answered my colleague, Mr. Gargan's question, they couldn't differentiate between numbers in the funding flowing through the formula financing. They couldn't tell us if we were being adequately funded or not. I think that's still an issue today.

But, with the technology we have today, Mr. Chairman, I think it would be quite easy to determine how many status Indians we have, how many Inuit we have, how many Metis we have, and how many "others" we have. I don't think that would be such a big task for the department to put together. I think that's another area the government has to clear up, Mr. Chairman, because it relates back to what is being proposed in the Education Act.

Mr. Chairman, that whole area hasn't been looked at and I have a lot of concerns. I wonder when the government will be looking at this issue and when they anticipate they'll get started on it, because it's going to have an impact. Maybe it's time now that we get into a new agreement with the federal government before they shut the door on us with regard to resources. I feel, Mr. Chairman, that we're not being adequately funded, especially the status people of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Chairman, although the department has indicated that they've looked at the Indian Act, Treaty 8 and 11 provisions that pertain to education rights and so forth, and the agreement between ourselves and the federal government -- I know they've looked at all of that -- I don't think the Minister can guarantee me, as a status person and a parent, that the interpretation they're using is right, because the other issues aren't resolved yet.

Although it may not be that they go against what is anticipated to be the definition of aboriginal rights and treaty rights, which haven't been defined yet -- so that's questionable now -- I interpret certain sections differently than the department. I don't think anyone has tested the scope of treaty sections or those pertaining to the educational rights of status people. In that respect, there is no test case, there is no guarantee that what they put in the act is accurate.

Mr. Chairman...