Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, on a debate that is going on in regards to Footprints 2, and particularly in regards to Partners in a New Beginning document, a draft constitutional package that was recommended by the constitutional working group of the western caucus of this Legislative Assembly and the aboriginal summit, the comments that I heard yesterday on the constitution itself, were that there are some areas where we need to work and concentrate and to give direction here. In the motion that was unanimously passed today, it gives further direction to myself and my colleague, the Minister of National Constitutional Affairs to present this document to the federal minister and to permit formal discussions with the federal minister on the constitutional development in the western NWT.

These discussions will lead to clear response on the part of the federal government in regards to looking at the principals of this document and then design elements that are in the documents as well. We received good direction today, for that I would like to thank the members of the Legislative Assembly for their support, unanimous support, to continue on this process.

Since we began this process formally in the Spring or June, we have undertaken a big task here to try to develop something new and innovative here in the west. There is commitment from this Legislative Assembly. There is commitment from Aboriginal leaders in the communities. I think there is a lot of support out in the communities although they are not as vocal as some of those I have heard expressed. That is what we expected Mr. Chairman, that the debate that has already begun over this document. We knew that there was going to be some strong opinions on all sides. We were hoping, and expecting that with the criticisms and negative responses we heard from those who are making those kind of responses, we are hoping as Northerners, we will all work together to try and come up with something that will be acceptable to all of us.

We have heard many times from mainly Aboriginal communities in the North in which there are a large majority of people that have lived here for many years that this present system is not really acceptable to them. Similar to what the people in Nunavut had said before division. And that was one of their main reasons for division is that this system is not really reflecting the way they want to govern themselves. And that was one of the reasons for division.

We in the West supported that and continue to support that process. So, in that regard, I have been an optimist that we are all living in the North here together and that is the reality, and we have a lot of common areas where we can work together. There are differences of opinion in some of the areas, however, we should continue to work together to try come up with something that is acceptable to the majority of the people. I am still quite hopeful and optimistic that this will happen.

For those people who have taken a very negative and strong approach against this process, I would only say that along with the criticism, they should also offer their own opinions on how it could work. Rather than being totally against this process. That is the intention of this process here.

So, along with the continuing of the consultation process, we continue to work with the federal officials to try to determine the adequate approach to the funding question for this process. And that looks like more promising as we deal with them, at the time, the motion today directs us to engage the federal government to engage the principles of this document rather than the specific elements that are contained in some of the models that were discussed in these documents.

So based on this approach, we feel that we could get the federal government to take a position on what they would accept and what they would not be able to accept in such a document. In this way then we will have a better understanding of what the possibilities are as we develop this package. For that to happen, we need to approach the federal government as soon as we can to begin discussions on this area here.

So in that, this process here, in the communities, people are beginning to talk about this document and we need to have adequate funding from this government, and the federal government to undertake the work to go into the communities to see what the people are saying about this document here. Perhaps, after a few months of that process, we would have a good indication of what is acceptable to the majority of the people in the communities in the new document for the Northwest Territories.

And all along, since this debate happened publicly, people that I have been talking to are saying that the majority that I have talked to are saying that this is a necessary, this is a good process. I am fortunate enough to be in different meetings in the north. I went to the Beaufort/Delta meeting. I heard there that there is support for such a process and that the process should continue on. That gives really positive type of indication to me that there is support out in the communities and in the regions for following through with this process.

Some of the comments that I heard yesterday during the debate was the majority of it was focused on the Footprints 2. And the comments that I have heard is that there is a relationship between what we are doing and the development of the constitution. And at the same time looking at the contents of the recommendations from Footprints 2 that was just released here by the Nunavut Implementation Commission. And there is a real need now for us here in this Legislative Assembly to look at how we in the west could be more involved in the division of the Northwest Territories. And the creation of two territories.

We have to be involved in the whole area of looking at the assets and the liabilities. We have to look at the incremental costs and be fully involved in the development of the financing formula agreements that will be in place here prior to this division. So there is a commitment by this government here to work with the western caucus and perhaps other organizations in the west to come up with some sort of mechanism here to work on this area here.

My colleague, the Chairman of the Division Secretariat, Mr. Todd was just mentioned that we in the west we have to determine for ourselves whom would be involved in this whole process. And I guess it is up to us in the west here in the western caucus and with the people in the west to determine what this forum is going take and how we are going to get involved in this process towards division. I think it is a positive move. I think up to this point in time, we have been in government here for one year now and with our portfolios we have been here for a year and a lot of things have happened within a year and perhaps we should have got into this one here as soon as we got into our portfolios and picked up our duties as MLAs.

However, we are getting involved now and we have to try to work together both east and west for the next number of months that are remaining before division to try and make sure all these three key areas are dealt with in a very positive way so that we will not have confrontation type of approach between the east and the west and once we discuss these things. And I think the main point I want to make is that I have worked with my colleague, Mr. John Todd here to discuss these areas here and the CCON table where the bureaucrats are dealing with the division question. There are going to be people working in the Aboriginal Affairs that are going to be getting involved in this whole process. So that we are more aware of what is going on in this whole process that has been in place here for looking at the division of assets and liabilities and the whole look at the manpower issue in the east and west.

Just to say that this perhaps might have been an oversight, it is an oversight, during the presenting of this Partners and new beginning document, Mr. Chairman, 120, when there was no content in the presentation of the Inuvialuit. You made a comment yesterday that there was no reflection at all of the Inuvialuit culture in the presentation last fall. I would like to apologize for that oversight, and want to make sure that sort of thing does not happen again here in the west as we work on this together.

Furthermore, I ask for the translation into Inuktitut of this document, I think that is a very good suggestion and I think we should do that. With that, I would just like to thank you, Mr. Chairman.