Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For some time now, I have been pursuing the issue of the transfer of federal jobs to the North. In June of 1997, I made a motion and it was supported and passed in this House, calling on the Premier to communicate with the Prime Minister to request a comprehensive listing of all federal civil service positions dedicated to NWT programming and/or policy development and that discussions also be undertaken with the appropriate federal Ministers to facilitate the relocation of federal positions to the north. This past spring, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development took up this request and assigned the consulting firm of KPMG to assess the potential transfer of program responsibilities to the North. The consultants report completed in July, states there is solid rationale in support of a transfer of federal positions. I want to complement the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs for pursuing this initiative and would urge that DIAND's next phase be conclusive in recommending the transfer of positions as soon as possible.

It is an encouraging development, but we also need to pursue other federal departments such as natural resources, Fisheries and Oceans and Heritage Canada et cetera. We need to persuade those departments to take action to transfer positions to the north. We can all benefit from this effort and we need to get on with it. Devolution of federal positions to the North provides an opportunity for improved services to Northerners.

We know that decision making and service delivery are most effective when carried out as close to home as possible. Decentralization would eliminate any overlap in work between federal offices here in the north and those stationed in Ottawa and elsewhere in the country. Finally and most importantly, devolution to the North would bring jobs to the North at a time when jobs are needed in all our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause