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