This is page numbers 155 - 185 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 6th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was education.

Topics

Members Present

Honourable Jim Antoine, Honourable Goo Arlooktoo, Mr. Barnabas, Honourable Charles Dent, Mr. Enuaraq, Mr. Erasmus, Mr. Evaloarjuk, Mrs. Groenewegen, Mr. Henry, Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Krutko, Mr. Miltenberger, Honourable Don Morin, Honourable Kelvin Ng, Mr. Ningark, Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Ootes, Mr. Picco, Mr. Rabesca, Mr. Roland, Mr. Steen, Honourable Manitok Thompson, Honourable John Todd.

Oh, God, may your spirit and guidance be in us as we work for the benefit of all our people, for peace and justice in our land and for the constant recognition of the dignity and aspirations of those whom we serve. Amen.

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 155

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

Good afternoon. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Mr. Speaker, in less than seven months the new Nunavut territory will come into being. Over the first three years of its term this government has invested a huge effort in supporting the creation of Nunavut. Our commitment to a smooth transition will continue up to and after division. On April 1, 1999 a new Western Territory will also be created. Just as Nunavut residents are looking forward to taking greater control of their future, western residents are looking forward to defining a new future for the west. They are looking to us to provide leadership in shaping that future.

Mr. Speaker, it is now time to turn our attention to a new agenda for a new Western Territory. This is a huge responsibility. It is a responsibility that we as a Legislature share with all northerners. Our children and our grandchildren are depending on us to work together for a better future. Each of us must think about the kind of society we want to create, the society we want our children to inherit.

As we consider our future together, we can choose to put our own narrow self-interest first or we can choose respect, understanding and fairness. We can take control of our own future or we can continue to have others make decisions for us. We can choose to blame others for our condition or we can choose to take full responsibility for ourselves. We can choose to remain dependent or we can work together towards greater self-reliance. But make no mistake. We must all live with the consequences of those choices. The decisions we make today will shape the future of the west for generations to come. As we make these choices, we need to be guided by a vision for the future of the west, a vision that all northerners can share a vision that describes the society we want our children to inherit.

Mr Speaker, I believe this vision must include a system of government that respects the inherent right of aboriginal people to govern themselves while protecting the individual rights of all residents. What I am saying is that we as a public government must truly recognize the inherent right of aboriginal people. We cannot ask them to dilute it or water it down. Public and aboriginal governments must come to the table as equals. This government must be willing to share certain legislative authority and we must be willing to change the way we do business. Only then can aboriginal governments take their rightful place, and only then can we form lasting partnerships for the benefit of all residents. Our government must have credibility not only in the north, but in the rest of Canada. We need a strong central government that represents everyone who lives in the Northwest Territories. This government must be the voice of the territory in national affairs and in our dealings with the provinces

Mr. Speaker, our vision must include northern people taking greater control of their future and becoming more responsible for their own well-being. It must include modern health care, education, housing and social programs, which are provided by and for northerners. Mr. Speaker, our education, health and the social services systems have been set up on southern models. We now know that these systems, imported from outside, do not reflect northern or aboriginal traditions and values. They have not worked well. I say it is time for northerners to work together to redesign these programs. As we move ahead to the next century we will be in control and we will be responsible for the outcome. I know we can do better.

Mr. Speaker, our vision must include sustainable development of the north's economic potential in a way that benefits all northerners. This means greater aboriginal participation in the workforce and economy. We have always said that northern people must benefit from the development of our resources and our economy. The sad fact is that aboriginal people still do not have a strong voice in our economy. Aboriginal people consistently have higher unemployment rates and lower incomes. We must work in partnership with aboriginal governments to correct this. Our vision must include healthier, more self-reliant individuals, families and communities. Mr. Speaker, this starts by enabling people to take more control over their own lives. All residents need access to education, housing and quality health care the basic services that all Canadians expect. They need the jobs and opportunities that will allow them to support themselves and their families, because, Mr. Speaker, restoring the pride that comes with self-reliance is the key to healthier families and communities.

Our vision must include steadily decreasing dependence on federal transfer payments. We cannot say that we govern ourselves as long as we have to rely on Ottawa for 75 percent of our budget. We have to start producing our own wealth, paying for our own programs and paying for our own services. Public and aboriginal governments can do this with a fair share of the royalties and taxes from the resources that rightfully belong to northern people. Mr. Speaker, our vision must include a strong, unified territory, taking its place in the federation and contributing to the prosperity of Canada. When I say strong and unified, I mean all northerners, aboriginal governments and public government must work together for the best interests of all. If everybody thinks only of their own region, their own community, then we will be divided and weak and we will not be heard. We have a lot to offer and we must be willing to work in partnership to establish a strong presence in Canada, first we need to find ways to see clearly our common northern interests and speak with a strong, confident northern voice.

Our first order of business is getting governance right. This means moving forward on outstanding claims, implementing the inherent right to self-government and defining a new western constitution. In doing so, we must develop a new governing system that is based on true partnerships between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people. The GNWT has long recognized aboriginal peoples' inherent right of self-government. We are committed to working with aboriginal nations and the federal government to ensure a fair implementation. We want to develop models of governance that recognize aboriginal rights and enable aboriginal peoples to take their rightful place in northern society a society that is founded on the principle of people working in partnership working together. Aboriginal governments come to the table as equal partners in a process where we all share an interest in the outcome. We all want to reach workable agreements that will respect the inherent right, honour all northerners' basic rights and support a Western Territory that we can all be proud of. Only by working together can we build respect for legitimate roles of aboriginal and public governments. Only by working together can we create a stable political environment that is essential to encourage investment in our economy. Only by working together can we make sure that all residents in all regions have access to affordable, quality programs.

Mr. Speaker, this is a critical issue for me. I do not want a future where there are rich regions and poor regions, where people are not free to move. I want my children to feel welcome to live and work anywhere in the north. I believe all northerners, aboriginal and non-aboriginal, want this as well. Mr. Speaker, the people and the land and its resources represent the economic potential of the north. Yet key decisions continue to be made by bureaucrats in Ottawa. Mr. Speaker, maybe in 1968 that was fine, but this is 1998 and I find it completely unacceptable. We are not children here in the north. If we are mature enough to manage our own health, education and social programs, surely we are mature enough to manage our own land and resources.

This is our second challenge: to gain control of our land and resources. When these decisions are made by northerners, we can protect our environment. We can make sure northerners get a fair share of the benefits. Our natural resources can also provide the dollars we need to invest in social programs and economic development.

Our third challenge, Mr. Speaker, is to restructure our fiscal relationship with Canada. As you know, we depend on the federal government for most of our budget. As we found early in the life of this assembly, we are very vulnerable to federal cuts. As things stand, we have very little ability to change this. We do not have a share of royalties from our own resources. Any increase in the tax revenues we raise ourselves is largely offset by a reduction in the transfer payment. We have to negotiate a new arrangement with the federal government so that we can become more self-sufficient and pay our way. We have never said we did not want to pay our way, we want to. Relying more on the money we raise ourselves would bring greater risk when the economy takes a downturn. It would also bring greater rewards in times of economic growth. In my view, we must do this if we are to gain greater control over our own future.

Mr. Speaker, our fourth challenge is to harness our economic potential. We know there is enormous potential in our minerals, oil and gas, tourism, forest resources and a range of small business and service sectors. We need to make sure northerners have the skills to take advantage of the opportunities. We need partnerships with Canada, provinces, industry and aboriginal development corporations. We need to create a stable political and regulatory environment to attract investment dollars. We must develop markets for our products and services, but the bottom line is; we must be in control of our resources.

Mr. Speaker, these are the four cornerstones of our agenda for the new west:

• Getting governance right;

• Taking control of our resources;

• Restructuring our fiscal relationship, and;

• Harnessing our economic potential.

We need to work on all these issues, but we cannot make progress alone. We can only advance this agenda in partnership with aboriginal governments and with Canada.

Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan - Gathering Strength states: "The government of Canada is committed to continuing its efforts to advance political and economic development in the northern territories."

With this commitment and the leadership of DIAND Minister Jane Stewart, I believe there has never been a better time to make real progress on this agenda.

We must seize the opportunities. At this critical time in our history, all northerners must share a vision and all northerners work together to realize it. Mr. Speaker, our children are counting on us to do the right thing. We must not let them down. Mahsi cho. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Ministers' statements. Mr. Antoine

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to announce that our government has developed a broader approach to western governance that recognizes aboriginal people's inherent right to self-government and is based upon a vision of people and governments working together in partnership at the community, regional and territorial level.

Central to the government's new approach is a vision of society in the western NWT. Our vision is of a society that:• encourages people to work together in their communities;

• respects the inherent rights of aboriginal people;

• is fair to all people;

• supports the efficient delivery of services;

• brings decision making closer to the people;

• creates a stable economic and political environment; and

• supports a strong and unified territory within Canada.

Later today, I will table the document Key Features of western NWT Society that outlines the principle elements of our approach to western governance. I have directed my officials to review our current mandates and instructions for consistency with our vision. We will then proceed to discuss our new approach at the various negotiating tables. As well, the government plans to provide a public information package on the vision of society in the western NWT and hold discussions with western leaders and other stakeholders. Mr Speaker, I would like to tell my colleagues in this Assembly about the path Cabinet took that led us to this new vision.

The GNWT has long recognized aboriginal people's inherent right of self-government and we are committed to working with the aboriginal peoples of the western NWT to negotiate a fair implementation of their rights.

On August 1, 1995, the Government of Canada released its policy on the Inherent Right of Self-government. That policy expressed a preference that in the western NWT, the inherent right be implemented primarily, although not exclusively, through public government.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the members of the Inherent Right Working Group for the commitment and open-mindedness that enabled them to forge a set of common recommendations. The matters they dealt with were challenging, but they persevered and produced a common set of recommendations that each party felt met their most basic interests.

Mr. Speaker, that was an important message. The members of the Inherent Right Working Group demonstrated that people can work together to find common solutions to common problems. Mr. Speaker, the government has developed a broader approach which will recognize aboriginal governments and allow aboriginal peoples to develop a more flexible approach, a partnership approach, because when we reviewed our initial vision for governance in the western NWT against these developments, we knew it came up short. In developing our approach, the government has paid close attention to the recommendations of the Inherent Right Working Group on structures of government and extent of jurisdiction and we believe that our approach is compatible with those recommendations.

Mr Speaker, the GNWT understood that leaving things the way they were was not an option. This government recognizes and respects the legitimate roles of aboriginal and public governments. We are committed to recognizing the important role aboriginal governments will play in the new Western Territory. We are also committed to finding an approach to governance that supports people in our communities and regions working together, setting priorities and designing programs that meet their needs.

Mr. Speaker, our vision of a western NWT society will enable people and governments to work together to build a society we will be proud to pass on to our children. Mahsi Mr. Speaker, Thank you.

--Applause

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

Thank you honourable Minister. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a Member's statement today on the announcement made yesterday by Mr. Picco, the press announcement on the sealing industry. Before I make any remarks about the announcement itself, I would like to spend a couple of minutes to speak on how important the sealing industry was and still is to my people the Inuit, not only economically but culturally. Also, it is an important source of meat in our diet. Seal pelts in the past, in the 50's, 60's and 70's were the bread and butter so to speak for the Inuit, Mr. Speaker.

Hunters and their families as I recall, were prosperous, relatively rich and we could afford the things in life in the 1970's. Sealing for most of the Nunavut coastal communities was important. It had this type of good economic effect for everyone. Comparable in importance to fishing in Newfoundland or maybe more. Our young Inuit men or boys' abilities were measured in such ways as when you got your first seal. It was the same for women or young girls on how well they could work on seal pelts. It was that important, Mr. Speaker.

Sealing and by-products, are part of the physique of the Inuit. I believe it is that important. This industry which fed us, made us rich, helped us to be able to achieve the good material things in life, which gave our people, both men and women a sense of purpose and means of prosperity was taken away very abruptly, Mr. Speaker. The market was killed, the rug was pulled from under us. Many families, including mine were left with trying to deal with a way of life that was gone.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

The Member for Baffin South is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Arlooktoo, you have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the families including mine, were left with trying to deal with a way of life that was taken away so abruptly. Today as in the past couple of decades, we have seen the after affects of this way of life, of this prosperity taken away without any sort of plan or way of dealing with it. There were no government programs or counselling. As we see today when a mine shuts down for example, or we shut down certain operations of the government. All we had and all we do have today is welfare, social assistance, government handouts, that our formally prosperous hunters must take in order to feed their families. This is so sad, Mr. Speaker. There was some turn around or hope in the carving industry which flourished for a couple of decades, but is now in trouble. We are trying to deal with this issue. Still, there has never been anything that has replaced the sealing industry.

The subsistence lifestyle which many of our people try to lead today is very expensive. They have to buy snowmobiles, boats, rifles and gasoline. Not everybody can afford what we call the traditional lifestyle. There are attempts in things like education, the land claims settlement, regaining control of our resources and in control of government that will make the Inuit hunter's life better but those take a long time.

This brings me to the announcement yesterday which for us Inuit MLAs it basically came out as a surprise, and broad-sided us. The reason it was so important is that we suddenly had to ask ourselves was this our old friend the sealing industry, which made us prosper and had died. Was this old friend being resurrected? It certainly sounded like that. Are we in a position right now to tell our hunters that you can now brush off the rifles and the boats, and the women, you can dust off the ulus and the saviks and is there some hope. I certainly hope there is, but it bothers me in the way the announcement came about and how Inuit MLAs were left in the dark. The fact that this occurred this way, forced the Inuit MLAs yesterday for the very first time to sit together as a Caucus. Over the past three years we had issues where we thought we should as an Inuk race sit down together. There has always been somebody or a group of other people within the group that have said if you have something to say you can say it in front of Nunavut Caucus. You can say it in front of everybody. This was something that was so important that we thought that we should sit down and talk about it together. I wanted to express my feelings on that and hopefully we can get down to the bottom on what this announcement really meant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

Members' statements. Ms. Thompson.

Manitok Thompson Aivilik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I am making a statement on behalf of the elders of the Keewatin region who have been offended by a television documentary that was made about Marble Island, which is located on the west coast of Hudson Bay, near Rankin Inlet.

Mr. Speaker, a great disservice has been dealt to our people and our elders because they were not consulted during the production of this documentary. As a result, the information on the Marble Island Story was incorrect and poorly researched. "Oceans of Mystery" was aired on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, September 6, 1998. It outlined the mysterious disappearance of Captain James Knight and his two ships, the Discovery and the Albany, while in search for the Northwest Passage over 275 years ago.

The remains of the two sunken ships as well as a foundation for a sod house were discovered on Marble Island. Almost 300 years later, we have found the remains of Captain Knight's expedition, but there is much speculation about how Captain Knight and his 40 crewmen died. Mr. Speaker, a documentary on the rich history of our north is both welcomed and encouraged. However, I was deeply disappointed and angered at the conclusions that were drawn by the producers of "Oceans of Mystery".

Based completely on speculation, it was decided by the producers of this show that the demise of the Knight Expedition was a direct result of the Inuit that lived in the area of Marble Island. It was suggested by the narrator of "Oceans of Mystery", that the Inuit killed the remaining crew from the Discovery and the Albany and then sank the ships by piercing their hulls and piling rocks on top of them. As if the Inuit had the time to do that. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

The Member for Aivilik is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Ms. Thompson, you have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

Member's Statement 73-13(6): Marble Island Television Documentary
Item 3: Members' Statements

September 22nd, 1998

Page 159

Manitok Thompson Aivilik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, thank you colleagues. Mr. Speaker, there have always been theories about the demise of the Knight Expedition, but to publicly state that the death of the crew was at the hands of the Inuit is disturbing, and more importantly, completely incorrect. There is little evidence, and I stress, no concrete fact that supports such an accusation. Again, to conclude a documentary based on such speculation and theory without taking the time to truly investigate the Marble Island story by interviewing the elders of Rankin Inlet and other communities leads me to believe that the producers of "Oceans of Mystery" were only looking for a sensational ending to their show.

This documentary has delivered a severe blow to the Inuit and to our elders. In an interview by Louis Taparti of CBC radio, with the producer of "Oceans of Mystery", Mr. Taparti had this man finally admit, after being asked the same question three times, that elders were not interviewed about the Marble Island story. The producer said that he received his information from a person who was neither Inuk nor an elder. Rather than confirming this information, the makers of "Oceans of Mystery" used their conclusion to sensationalize their show at the expense of the Inuit who were trying to help the explorers at the time to survive.

Mr. Speaker, as Inuit, we have always kept our tradition and culture strong by listening to our elders. Oral history is important to our culture. If we wanted to learn about our past, our ancestors, or how to hunt or sew, we went to our elders for our answers. Any time we needed to know the facts about something, our elders, these libraries of knowledge, were there for us.

Mr. Speaker, had the producers taken the time to interview our elders, they would have found that there are no oral histories that support such a fabrication and would have saved us the insult and pain of these unfounded lies. Furthermore, it would have also maintained the investigative integrity of "Oceans of Mystery" as well as avoided great embarrassment for those who produced this show.

Mr. Speaker, this is just one more example of southerners not being familiar with our culture, and sadly taking advantage of a part of our history, or at other times, a situation or a natural resource, by manipulating it for their own personal gain and recognition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

Thank you, Madame Thompson. Members' statements. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my statement today is regarding the plight of rural communities. We have seen in southern Canada, on the prairies, in regards to a lot of farming communities that have vanished from the face of the map, and also on the east and west coast where fishing communities no longer exist. It is fair that I have this view as I come from a rural, small riding where the trapping industry was once strong and where aboriginal people congregated and came together from their trap lines. Today with the downturn of the oil, gas and the fur industry in my riding we are slowly feeling the impact of no economic opportunities and an economic base that we can depend on.

Mr. Speaker, in regard to the views I have about the approaching date of division, I do have some problems with division. Coming from a rural community in the far western corner of the Northwest Territories, there may be a time when we too feel like my colleagues from the east where distance is a factor in the way we are being served and the way we are being heard. Mr. Speaker, I feel that economics, the social well-being and the health and education of all people have to be expanded upon. Especially, in the rural communities where we do not have an economic base and we need our jobs for our young people so they do not go away and we lose a very important part of the population, which is the young people with the skills they have learned through their education and the benefits that they can offer to our small communities.

Yet Mr. Speaker, I see in the west a large influx of our younger people leaving our ridings and our small communities to go to areas such as Yellowknife where a lot of expansion is happening as far as the diamond industry and government. To see the influx of work, jobs and the money that is being spent by this government. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

The Member for Mackenzie Delta is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Krutko, you have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you colleagues. We see the large

expansion of development in Yellowknife which is going to be the capital of the Northwest Territories, but we have seen very little development happening in the outlying ridings like the ones I represent, the Mackenzie Delta, the Inuvik region where a lot of people are leaving because of not having an opportunity to get a job. A lot of our young people are leaving their homes and communities they grew up in because they cannot find a job. We have to consider the overall approach of the Northwest Territories and ensure that every aboriginal person in every community that there is an opportunity for a person to stay within their community and find a job. It is important that we take that into consideration.

The other area I have a lot of concern about is regarding the whole emphasis that we pass in this House. We have problems with water, our health care system, and we have concerns that we raise in a lot of our small communities. It seems to be a real problem when it comes to getting those things done in government. Yet we spend hundreds, thousands and thousands of dollars on study after study after study. I would like to know, where is the priority of this government when it comes to ensuring economic values and benefits to all of our communities? Thank you.

--Applause

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Roland

Member's Statement 75-133(6): Change In The North
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 160

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, change is inevitable as we have come to know since we have all come to the Assembly. The north has faced change on a continual basis since I can remember. I can still remember stories my father told me about the first time he drove an outboard motor. It was a one and a half horse power and he used it for spring ratting season. At times it would move so slowly as he was going against the current he would fall asleep and an hour later he would wake up and he had not moved, he was still in the same place. Mr. Speaker, we have come a long way from that time. In the government we have changed from an appointed system to now a fully elected government. In the years to come as we have heard in the Premier's statement there are more changes that are being looked at.

Mr. Speaker, I know as changes have come along, my father has changed with it, for he saw that there was need to change. He had to provide for his family, he saw that his traditional way of providing for us was not going to cover all of the bases. So he moved forward with that change, but he did so on the basis of need. He did so on the basis of looking at another man or individual for the value they would put forward. I still look back on the times when I have to think about things and how he raised us. I can say clearly, my father raised his children in a way that when you looked at an individual you did not look at him for his background, his history or his culture but instead, he looked at the person with the value they put in their word. His decisions were based on how he could trust the individual. That is the way he raised his family. I hope that as we move forward in change, we will look at values put in people. We need to look at the word and how people stand on their word as they deal with change. Mr. Speaker in closing, in the winds of change we must look also past the person's outside appearance and look inward and the value they place in their community and fellow man. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Member's Statement 75-133(6): Change In The North
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 160

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Members' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise today to speak briefly to the very important statements that were made in this House by the Premier, his statement on the new agenda for a new Western Territory and by Minister Antoine, on a vision for society in the western NWT. Mr. Speaker, we are months away from division and the people from the Western Territory, the southern jurisdictions, the business communities and the federal government would like to know with some certainly what type of governance we envision at the territorial level for the people of the Western Territory.

Mr. Speaker, this issue has been of significant interest to me for well over a year. I have written to Caucus and I raise it in the House. One of the fundamental issues to me, Mr. Speaker, if we want a territory to move forward in the unified, united and cooperative way, then one of the key ingredients is going to be to have a strong, central government with clearly articulated powers and authorities so that there is a glue as the Premier said yesterday that will be able to bind the regions and the people of the Western Territory together. Mr. Speaker, in fact, we have been told, I have been at meetings where the aboriginal summit representatives said that the position now held by the government of the Northwest Territories is unclear, it is vague and it is imprecise making it very difficult to make progress at the tables currently where negotiations are underway for inherent right to self-government. I agree.

Mr. Speaker, we know that there are many models on the table before us trying to outline the possible relationships that may exist or can be negotiated between aboriginal governments and the government of the Northwest Territories. It could be government to government, it could be the combined model if you use the constitutional models on the table. It could be a partnership model or it could be a parallel model. Those are labels not clearly defined, but anyone of those are a possibility and subject to negotiation. I do not believe that we can go forward and negotiate with aboriginal governments unless we have a clear sense and are prepared to stand up as clearly as possible to articulate the role and authorities of a clear, central public government and what role they will play in this process. I think everybody will appreciate that. It will be a topic of debate. It will be a topic of discussion, but very clearly. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

The Member for Thebacha is seeking

unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Miltenberger, you have unanimous consent.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues for allowing me to conclude my statement. Mr. Speaker, I look at these two documents where the Premier, in fact, refers to a central public government and the need for a strong one, but only in the capacity for provincial and federal relations, which I think is somewhat short of a complete definition that there is going to be a role for monitoring standards and ensuring that glue is there that will help bind this territory together. It is unfortunate that the Minister in his document on western governance does not even mention the need for a central public government as we embark upon this journey or try to conclude this journey of negotiating inherent right and self-government arrangements with the aboriginal governments. It is a step in the right direction, Mr. Speaker. It has been some time coming and if it is viewed as a step as part of the process that is going to take us to a strong united territorial government in the west, then I am prepared to take part in that debate. It is essential that all western MLAs do and that our communities do. Mr. Speaker, we have not had much time to look at these statements and I am responding very quickly because it is such a critical issue to me and I look forward at some point to greater opportunity to discuss these statements. I hope to see the fleshed-out implementation documents that will define some of the labels and titles used in the documents and statements made by the Minister and Premier today.

There are some important comments made. There are a lot of laudable principles alluded to, in terms of cooperation, partnership, and working together. The definition of what we mean by that is going to be where the debate is going to take place and it is going to be a critical debate and I look forward to engaging in that with my fellow MLAs, the people of the Western Territory and of course, the many aboriginal governments and leaders, many of whom, are with us today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Deputy Speaker John Ningark

Thank you. To follow up with a statement of Mr. Gargan, when we started this Assembly to be more strict with the rules and procedures of the House, I would like to remind Members that a good number of Members who have made Members' statements have gone beyond the time allotted for Members' statements. Thank you. Mr. Rabesca.