Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. It is in regards to my Member's statement and the lack of progress in the area of the Northern Accord and also the developments that are taking place, yet there is very little progress in the area of the Northern Accord Agreement which was transferred from the federal government to this government to start negotiating the federal transfer devolution of the Northern Accord for oil and gas mineral resources to the Government of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of development happening. There was an agreement signed just yesterday between the Alberta government and TransCanada Pipelines to start looking at oil and gas reserves in the western Canadian sedimentary basin that goes from Alberta all the way up to the Beaufort Sea. There was mention also that they were looking at the oil and gas in the Beaufort Delta.

Mr. Speaker, my question to the Premier is, it has been over ten years since this agreement was signed off between the federal government and the Government of the Northwest Territories to conclude those negotiations. Can the Premier tell me how much of a priority is it for this government to conclude those negotiations and what resources have been put to concluding these negotiations? What is the department doing to try to ensure that we do work in this area? Thank you.