Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Part of the responsibility of Aboriginal Affairs is to deal with land claims and self-government negotiations. The First Nations living within my constituency are the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. They, of course, were included in the Dene/Metis discussions for many, many years which finally fell apart somewhere around 1991, or something. Following that, a year or so later, they began discussions with the federal government. Later on it began to include the territorial government representatives as well. Mr. Speaker, the Yellowknives First Nations have been trying to resolve their land disputes with the federal government for many, many years. I suppose you could say decades. They are now involved in the First Nations in Akaitcho territory, as they call it.
Mr. Chairman, there are other aboriginal governments that have finalized their claims and these First Nations are now able to move ahead with economic development. They have a lot more to say on the lands within their traditional areas. They have a lot more influence on what occurs in their traditional area as well as on their selected lands. They are able to concentrate on other things rather than trying to settle their outstanding claims. That is not so with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. They are still struggling to settle their outstanding claims which, for the last while, they have been trying to do through the treaty entitlement process. I understand that they are trying to do some sort of an amalgamated claim which includes comprehensive claim and treaty entitlement.
It has been a long, drawn-out process, Mr. Chairman, and it does take a lot of time and energy of the leadership so that they are not totally able to concentrate on other economic and social ventures that they would otherwise be able to for the betterment of their membership. Mr. Chairman, what I am trying to lead up to is that this government, part of its responsibilities is to participate in these discussions with the Akaitcho First Nations. I am trying to urge the department to assist the Akaitcho First Nations, not only the Akaitcho First Nations but the Deh Cho and the Dogrib First Nations, so that they can complete their respective land negotiations so that all three of these groups can get past this hurdle and on to the next stage which is to start getting into economic ventures and concentrate on other problems that their memberships have such as social problems. We all know that we have horrendous social problems as well as a burgeoning birth rate. Those types of things we have to tackle. When the leadership is taking a lot of their time in trying to finalize land claim negotiations which seem to have the rules of the game changed periodically by whichever government happens to be in power in Ottawa, it takes a lot out of the leadership. I would like to urge the Minister and his staff to do everything within their power and abilities to help the groups that have not finalized their land claims negotiations and treaty entitlement negotiations to finalize or at least come very, very close within the lifetime of this government. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.