Thank you, Mr. Speaker, good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up on the Premier's statement regarding the draft Dogrib Agreement-in-Principle by providing more detail on some of the financial issues. The Dogrib AIP represents a very significant amount of work on the part of the three parties. It is a crucial and historic
step for the Dogrib First Nation in realizing their aspirations.
The AIP reflects the successful conclusion of negotiations on most issues. However, negotiations on self-government financing, fiscal arrangements and taxation issues have not yet been finalized. The three parties have agreed to complete these negotiations during the final agreement phase.
Mr. Speaker, in order to clarify the GNWT's position and to provide an opportunity for public discussion, I will table today a document called Financing the Implementation of Self-Government - GNWT Principles. This document explains in some detail the proposed approach of the GNWT when negotiating fiscal arrangements with the Dogrib First Nation and Canada. These principles represent the position of this government and reflect our continued commitment to negotiate self-government agreements that are practical, affordable and which will ensure that all governments have the financial capacity to exercise their powers and meet their residents' needs.
The first and most important issue is to determine the costs to implement self-government and who will pay those costs.
There will be additional one-time and ongoing costs to establish self-government institutions and service delivery structures. The cost to implement self-government is a fiduciary responsibility of the federal government. Further, the GNWT maintains that, given our limited fiscal resources, we do not have the ability to pay for incremental costs, without compromising our ability to continue to provide the same level of programs and services to territorial residents. For both these reasons, the GNWT's position is that Canada is responsible for funding incremental costs.
The second issue is whether money would flow to the Dogrib First Nation government through the GNWT or directly from Canada. The position of the GNWT is that it will act as the funding agent where programs and services are delivered by governments or institutions that represent and serve all residents.
In areas where a First Nations government exercises its exclusive jurisdiction over its citizens or its land, the GNWT's position is that funding should flow directly from Canada. The GNWT would, in both cases, contribute its share of current expenditures on relevant programs and services.
Third, Mr. Speaker, with respect to taxation, the parties will strive to reach agreement on the extent of the taxation powers of the Dogrib First Nation government. A taxation agreement will be negotiated prior to concluding the final agreement.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to applaud the commitment and excellent efforts of the negotiating teams and acknowledge the extensive amount of work to date.
--Applause