Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the concern raised by a number of Members in this Assembly. Several honourable Members were concerned that a news report yesterday on CBC radio cast doubts on the federal government's commitment to discuss costs related to division identified in its Transition Action Plan that I tabled last week.
Mr. Speaker, based on these concerns I asked my officials to contact the office of the Minster of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, the Honourable Jane Stewart, to clarify the commitment that was made last week. I am pleased to advise that Ms. Stewart has confirmed her commitment to a table to allow all parties to assess the transition costs identified by this government. In fact, a preliminary meeting of all parties to discuss this issue and to review the Transition Action Plan has already taken place.
Mr. Speaker, while I am pleased that these discussions are going ahead, it is important to clarify the issues raised by the report on CBC yesterday. The Transition Action Plan was prepared by this government in a spirit of cooperation and partnership and in an attempt to further the division process in both the west and the Nunavut. It is not, as reported yesterday on the CBC, a request for additional funding. The plan is an alert to all parties that we believe that there are significant transition costs associated with creating two territories.
It is our view that the plan identifies a number of fundamental issues with respect to costing and implementation that have not been discussed previously and, as such, is a good starting point for all parties to assess these issues. We are looking forward to our discussion with the federal government and other parties on these issues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.