Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, that is exactly the point that the honourable Member is making, where the First Nations and Metis are trying to get that sorted out. That situation has been there for a long time. That grey area, where it is not too clear exactly who is responsible for this public funding in the community. I know what the Member is getting at. The criteria, or policy, of funding bands in the small communities where there is no other municipal communities to provide services, that is a policy that is set by the Cabinet, and the criteria that is set through the small communities assistance program. I think it is under the MACA Department that has this arrangement, this SOAP program with the small communities, where they make a contract with the bands. There are provisions in there that the funding has to be for the whole of the communities. So the band is providing this service on behalf of the whole community. To have a specific condition for non-band members to have a vote or to have a say in how this funding is spent, if you are making that suggestion, then I think that we should take a look at that.

Thank you. We are considering Aboriginal Affairs. Are there Members that wish to speak to this particular item that have not spoken yet, before I recognize Mr. Steen? Are there Members who have not spoken on this item that wish to speak? Mr. Steen.

Are there honourable Members that wish to address this particular item, Aboriginal Affairs now? No. Total operations and maintenance is $2 million. Mr. Erasmus. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We heard the other day that there were concerns at meetings in Yellowknife and Hay River concerning the draft constitution or the revised NWT Act. I would like to know if the Minister also received endorsements or letters of encouragement endorsing the rolling draft that was done. Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Minister, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, if the honourable Member is asking if we have received any letters or any correspondence or any indication that there is endorsement for this process, I think that I could say that continuation of the involvement of Members to the Constitutional Working Group, I think is an indication there is an endorsement through participation. I attended the Beaufort Delta leaders meeting before Christmas, in the fall. There were positive comments that we have to work together to see if we could set something for ourselves set up, so that we could govern ourselves after 1999. I think that is in itself a sort of endorsement. I think there were letters sent suggesting that different things should be taken into consideration when we are proceeding with this. There are phone calls from individuals, from elders and different leaders on suggestions on how to proceed. So, I think there is some endorsement of that nature in this rolling draft for the proposed constitution for the new constitution for the NWT. Thank you.

Thank you. Aboriginal Affairs, operations and maintenance. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I know the Minister is in charge of Aboriginal Affairs, is he also responsible for the Aboriginal Affairs in the eastern Arctic, as well as in the western territories?

Thank you. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, we are responsible, with the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, for all the aboriginal affairs in the NWT, including the area of Nunavut. However, there does not seem to be that many issues that are coming to the ministry for us to deal with. I think largely because in the Nunavut area they have a settled claim, the Nunavut Final Agreement, and the leadership there are very involved in pursuing division and the setting up of their own government in the east. This government, at the same time, through the Executive, have a Division Secretariat that concentrates solely on all the division issues. In general, that covers most of the concerns for the Nunavut in aboriginal affairs. Thank you.

Thank you. Operations and maintenance. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It does not show here, but I know that there is going to be a supplement to increase the funding a little bit, but I think that it would still be less than or only equal to what was actually provided in previous years. I was wondering if the Minister actually had

enough staff to do all the responsibilities that they are responsible for?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this ministry needs resources and as a result there is going to be a supp that is going to be coming on later on because we were not able to get the necessary numbers and plan in action until we had Cabinet approval by January, but because of the supp, I think with the resources that are going to be provided to us, there is going to be enough for us to, with this ministry, to be involved in the self-government talks. I think with the PYs that we are going to get and some of the funding for travel, I think that should be adequate to take care of self-government negotiations for the time being. In the land claims area, perhaps if some situations evolved, such as the Treaty 8 talks, as well as the Deh Cho, if it comes around, then we probably will be requiring additional resources to have adequate people at the table in that area. Thank you.

Thank you. I think the supplementary appropriation, that is to come out and the particular issue that we are considering are two different matters and I would like to remind the Members to try and stick to the topics which are on the table. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am sorry, I did not quite hear the last part of the Minister's response. Too many side discussions here, we can not hear very good. Did he say that there if certain things happen there is a possibility that he would not have enough people to participate properly?

Thank you. In respect to Mr. Erasmus' concern, I would like to remind all the Members that we are discussing a matter that is of importance to this committee, and if you wish to have a side conversation, there is a couple of doors here around the back and, without kicking the Members out, please bear in mind that we have some very important items here and I would remind the Members to respect what is happening here. Mr. Minister, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In response to the honourable Member in regards to whether this ministry has enough resources to carry out its work, I did say that in the area of self-government negotiations, if certain things fall into place, I think that we will have enough resources and people at the table in self-government. But in the case of a land claims issue, at the present time we have the different claims that are going on covered fairly well by the ministry, but if certain things evolve and develop, such as the Treaty 8 negotiations, get on stream and if the Deh Cho, for example, down the line gets into commitment to negotiate land claims, then we will probably require additional resources at that time, but at the present time, we have sufficient resources. Thank you.

Qujannamiik. Aboriginal Affairs, operations and maintenance. Total operations and maintenance is $2,377,000. Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the ministry manages and co-ordinates the Government of the Northwest Territories' participation at these comprehensive claims. This one, for example, in the Dogrib claim, the GNWT is involved, and if we need other resources from other departments then we manage and co-ordinate the GNWT team as they sit and negotiate the Dogrib claim. We are involved as taking a lead role at the negotiating tables. Our negotiators have mandates and instructions and they carry the work out on our behalf. We are more or less taking the lead role at the table. Whatever resources we need, whatever additional lawyers or different experts we need at the table, then we co-ordinate that. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Steen.