Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're in the final months of the 12th Legislative Assembly. The election coming up on October 16th will begin the official countdown to the division of the Northwest Territories. Once that happens, that decision is irreversible. It's something like Humpty Dumpty; all the king's horses and all the king's men could never put the Northwest Territories together again.
---Laughter
Many people have worked for 20 years or more to achieve this momentous feat of creating Nunavut. We in the west offer our best wishes to the people of Nunavut as they embark on this huge endeavour. However, there are massive logistical problems to overcome before 1999. I think to all of us, the ever-diminishing federal funding is of grave, grave concern. The federal government and we must remember that we're not just creating Nunavut, we're creating two new territories here in the old Northwest Territories.
I know that the Government of the Northwest Territories is undertaking a lot of work in preparation for division. I sit as a Member on the division committee. We've met a few times and acted as a sounding board, but we don't have the mandate or the resources to actually do the preparation. However, I hope we've provided some useful advice in the course of the last few months. The division of assets and liabilities is going to be very tricky and it's going to be a very, very tough job.
Changes in the structures of governments in both east and west are causing a lot of concern to a lot of the civil servants who have worked for many years for the Government of the Northwest Territories. I think it is very important to clearly state for the record that both the new Nunavut government and the new western government have a moral responsibility to retain as many of our present employees as possible. If the numbers overall are reduced, then there should be fair compensation packages and adequate lead times for any employees who won't be kept. I strongly believe that a system should be put in place early in the life of the new government to ensure that our GNWT employees, both east, west, headquarters, regional and community, are fairly treated; and, as I say, with enough lead time to minimize negative effects on them, their spouses and on their families. Most of them have made a long and sincere commitment to the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, could I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement?