Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Constitutional Working Group co-ordinates the western constitutional development. As the western Caucus, we have made a partnership arrangement with the aboriginal leaders, and now we also have the women's organizations involved, NWT Association of Municipalities, and we have other interest groups that are also very interested. Generally the constitutional working group co-ordinates this whole process. We, on the other hand, as GNWT, are monitoring this process on behalf of the GNWT and so hopefully that clarifies the question. Thank you.

Thank you. Aboriginal Affairs. Mr. Steen.

Qujannamiik. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, we are sponsoring the process through funding arrangements with GNWT. We are providing funding towards the next phase, which is the consultation phase. We have also been approaching the federal government in securing some funds for their share of this process. We have also provided in client help, there is lack of funding in this process so we provide that. The only type of sponsorship we are providing here is in terms of resources and we would like to see the Constitutional Working Group itself do the actual work and at the same time, we monitor that whole process. Thank you.

Thank you. Operations and maintenance. Total operations and maintenance is $2,377,000. Mr. Steen.

Thank you. Perhaps, a partnership would be a term to use. Mr. Minister.

Yes, this ministry here monitors the western constitutional development. We represent the government in that whole process by providing and trying to find the funds to make this thing work. The only sparse sponsorship that we have to provide the funds. At the same time we have in kind support. We have people on staff that have certain expertise such as constitutional lawyers and different people that have expertise in this area. So we are sponsoring it in that sense. In regards to settling outstanding lands claims, the land claims is initiated between the aboriginal organization, the aboriginal First Nations and the federal government. That is the land claims. They are dealing with land and resource issues and trying to bring certainty to that. We, as the government, know these territories. We have been part of that whole process. It is mainly between the federal government and the aboriginal people to settle these outstanding claims. We are encouraging that process. We are encouraging, we are supportive of the whole land claims process. We try to facilitate it. At the same time we also have to protect the interest of the NWT at the table, so real major discrepancies to the GNWT and the Northwest Territories do not happen. So we are there representing the interest of the NWT at this table. Thank you.

Thank you. Total operations and maintenance. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I am not suggesting that we put money forward to get the groups together. According to our policies, we support the land claims process in the Northwest Territories. We have done that all along with Inuvialuit, the Inuit with the Nunavut claims. You name it. All the claims that were settled. This government was instrumental in making sure that this came about. We provided the support in the form of encouragement and facilitating and to make sure that things moved along. So you need to have that type of environment for claims to be settled. That is what I meant. We are there to try to get the groups together and to facilitate it. If there was total opposition from the government for any claims, I do not think that we would see the type of claims that we have today. I think we would be still probably negotiating a lot of them, but then the direction here from the people and all the different interest groups in the north is that the people in the north see finalization of all the land claims in the Northwest Territories. So that once we have certainty to who owns the land then we could move along and so forth. I think, just to recap and simplify my answer, is that yes we are there in the form of facilitators. I am not talking about providing funds to get the groups together.

Thank you. Total operations and maintenance, $2,377,000. Agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you. Total expenditures for this page, $2,377,000. Agreed. Do I hear agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you. That is better. Page 02-47, details of grants and contributions. Grants, total grants is $225,000. Agreed. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Do you wish to proceed with the motion, Mr. Krutko?

We do not need it right now. But if you want a quorum at this time, I will ring the bell. But, you do not need the quorum at this time to make the motion, but we will need a quorum once a motion is read into the record. Mr. Krutko.