Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. The document, Partners in a New Beginning, is a document that everybody is working off of, and there are suggestions on how to put this document forward. It is a printed document already, but then there is suggestions that, already we are doing some work on beefing up the other two models in there, and I guess once you are doing that you are already altering the package because the content of the package is the information that goes along with the package. I would say, yes, the package is regarded as a rolling draft, that changes are being made as we move along. Yes, the package is going to be a complete package, which is different from the single package and the content in the presentation that is going to be made to the people. Thank you.

Thank you. Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister alluded earlier, in response to a question in one of his comments was that there has been some negative feedback to the document. A few people have made negative feedback. I would suggest to the Minister, that is probably the tip of the iceberg and it would be a serious underestimation on his part if he thinks that it is just a few people expressing concerns about some of the conditions laid down in that document.

I have a little concern, when the Minister tells me that more than likely, we will not have a document ready for 1999, when two new territories are created, and I am concerned that we are going to go and rush another process through in a couple of months time and get supposed good feedback and that, and put another document together. I think this document that has been presented has gone a long way towards creating more divisions in the north, especially in the western territory, in that I believe it unnecessarily raised expectations on one side and really dampened or frustrated a lot of hopes on the other side.

I think that these people that I have talked to, no one is against the principle just because it is fact, no one is against the principle of the aboriginal inherent right to self-government. It is a fact, no one is arguing against that. It is how that can be implemented with public government, I think, is the question that has to be addressed. I think the way that it has been proposed already has probably done more damage towards making that a reality in the new western territory, because as I said previously, it has created expectations on, particularly the aboriginal side, that great, now we have this in place and we can combine our self-government and public government and we can come with two votes, and it has created that expectation and I believe that is unrealistic. It is certainly in its present form.

On the non-aboriginal side, there is a feeling that the basic fundamental principle is going to be removed from a constitution, so I think the Constitutional Working Group have a phenomenal amount of work to do to try and recoup that confidence on both sides and I certainly wish them all the success in the world, but again I have very grave concerns about the speed that this process is going to take, and not enough time will go into getting a genuine document that all people can look at. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this constitutional process, I regard it as a continuation of a long process. It did not start when the document was tabled, it has been there for many, many years. As far as I could remember, when I first became involved in politics back in 1972/73, there was talk about it then. Over the years, there has been a lot of different forms and previous Members of the Legislative Assembly and were part of the evolution of a constitution here in the north. Those people know who they are. They are part of the process. It is not something new, it is something that has been going on for many years.

Yes, I agree that people see the guiding principles as something that they could generally support. Perhaps the model that we put forward was too different from our present system that it caused a lot of very negative reactions. That is easy to fix. We have other models. The idea there is to, once you agree with the guiding principles, then how do you integrate aboriginal self-government with public government? That is the question. That is what we are attempting to do, and if there are different suggestions out there, once you agree with the guiding principles, then bring those suggestions forward, and that was what the goal of the Constitutional Working Group was when we put the document forward. It was a draft document. It is not a final document and from there people would work off it and make suggestions and make the changes.

The honourable Member may be correct when he says that it is the tip of the iceberg and that because we put a model forward that is not acceptable to a lot of people, that we may have done a lot of damage to the process. Perhaps he is right. I am optimistic. I am hoping it is not. I am hoping that there is enough good will out there in the north and I have said this all along, that the people in the north, we have lived together, we are a small population, we live together in the communities and the reality is that we do live together in the communities and that we do work together in the communities and that the desire there is that we are going to continue to work together and live together in communities. Let us see how we could describe it today, so that it will be reflective of how we work together today and into the future. That is the attempt right here. I think people would agree with that.

The document itself is basically a framework of how a society would live together. It is like the parameters of how you live together in communities. We cannot really get into specifics of it then. It is supposed to be something that we could live with today and into the future, and that is the attempt right there, and it is totally different from what is going on in the south. Coming from the north, I like to see something developed in the north by northern people. I think a lot of people would agree with that. I am optimistic that, it is a big chore, yes, we have ahead of us, but I think it could be done and I am committed to see it as far as it is going to go. I think our partners, the aboriginal leaders, who are committed to make it go as far as it could go, I think that they have compromised up to this point quite a bit in their positions, and I think that as we develop this document you are going to see that aboriginal peoples are willing to compromise in trying to make something workable, especially in something as big as the constitution. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Henry, I believe that your allotted time has run out. You had 10 minutes to speak. Your time was up. Sorry about that. Aboriginal Affairs, we have Mr. Levi Barnabas, Mr. Erasmus, Mr. O'Brien, and Mr. Krutko. Mr. Barnabas.

I make a motion to report progress.

Thank you. There is a motion on the floor to report progress and the motion is not debatable. Do you have a quorum here. I believe we have. All those in favour, please signify again. Opposed. The motion is carried. I will rise and report progress. Thank you, Mr. Minister Antoine and Mr. Bannon.

The House will come back to order. Item 20, report of committee of the whole.

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 8, Appropriation Act 1997/98 and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the committee of the whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Thank you. Seconded by Mr. Barnabas. The motion is in order. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. Item 21, third reading of bills. Mr. Clerk, item 22, orders of the day.

Mr. Speaker, meetings for Monday morning at 9 a.m. of the Standing Committee on Social Programs and at 10:30 of the Ordinary Members' Caucus.

Orders of the day for Monday, February 10, 1997:

1. Prayer

2. Ministers' Statements

3. Members' Statements

4. Returns to Oral Questions

5. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

6. Oral Questions

7. Written Questions

8. Returns to Written Questions

9. Replies to Opening Address

10. Petitions

11. Reports of Standing and Special Committees

12. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills

13. Tabling of Documents

14. Notices of Motion

15. Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills

16. Motions

17. First Reading of Bills

- Bills 10 and 11

18. Second Reading of Bills

19. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

- Bill 8, Committee Reports 2-13(4), 3-13(4) and Tabled Document 20-13(4)

20. Report of Committee of the Whole

21. Third Reading of Bills

22. Orders of the Day

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned to Monday, February 10, 1997, at 1:30 p.m.

-- ADJOURNMENT