This is page numbers 721 - 753 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 7th 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 housing.

Topics

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled, NWT Housing Corporation Annual Report, 1997-98. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Mr. Kakfwi.

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled, A Framework for Community Justice in the Western Arctic, June 1999. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table a letter from the Tsiigehtchic Charter Community in regard to the deep concerns with the shortage of public housing in their community.

The Speaker

Thank you. Tabling of documents.

The Speaker

In accordance with section 34.1, I wish to table the report of the payment of indemnities, allowances and expenses to Members of the Legislative Assembly for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1999.

The Speaker

Also I have the pleasure of tabling the report and Hansard of the First Youth Parliament of the Northwest Territories, held May 17 to 21, 1999. Tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. Mr. Erasmus.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Tuesday, August 3, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River, that this Legislative Assembly continues to support the resolution of land claims and self-government agreements among all aboriginal groups in the Northwest Territories and further requests the Executive Council and the Government of the Northwest Territories to place a high priority on the negotiations and settlement of outstanding land claims.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time today I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with my motion today. Thank you.

The Speaker

Thank you. Notices of motion. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Tuesday, August 3, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for North Slave, that the Executive Council be censured for the manner in which it made major changes to the 1999-2000 capital estimates that were moved by the Assembly without the prior involvement and support of the affected Members and standing committees.

The Speaker

Thank you. Notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. Mr. Erasmus.

Item 16: Motions
Item 16: Motions

Page 726

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with my motion today. Thank you.

Item 16: Motions
Item 16: Motions

Page 726

The Speaker

Thank you. The Member for Yellowknife North is seeking unanimous consent to deal with the motion. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Erasmus, you have unanimous consent.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS the recent electoral boundary court challenges and the introduction of Bill 15 has created serious rifts among northern peoples;

AND WHEREAS political stability is necessary if the Northwest Territories is to have a healthy society and a positive economic and investment climate;

AND WHEREAS the land claim and self-government negotiation processes have been underway for over twenty years;

AND WHEREAS the support of aboriginal people is needed if the Government of the Northwest Territories is to progress in its efforts toward further devolution, resource development and revenue sharing;

AND WHEREAS the existing uncertainty surrounding land claims and self-government processes is harmful to both aboriginal and non-aboriginal people and to the economic, social and political stability of the Northwest Territories;

NOW THEREFORE, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River, that this Legislative Assembly continues to support the resolution of land claims and self-government agreements among all aboriginal groups in the Northwest Territories.

AND FURTHER, requests this Executive Council and the Government of the Northwest Territories to place a high priority on the negotiations and settlement of outstanding land claims.

The Speaker

Thank you. Your motion is in order. Members do not have copies of the motion, so we will take a five-minute break.

-- Break

The Speaker

The House will come back to order. We are on item 16, motions. Motion 26-13(7). Mr. Erasmus, to the motion.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason we are making this motion is outlined in the whereas clauses. We believe that these land claims and self-government negotiations have been going on for years and years. They do create political and economic and even social instability by taking so long. People, investors are reluctant to invest in areas where claims are not settled. Even where claims are settled, if the self-government negotiations are still ongoing, there is still a bit of reluctance in those areas as well to invest. It seems that this government while we are placing a priority and we are working hard in the land claims area, we think that there should be a higher priority placed and whatever this government can do to facilitate those claims, I should not say whatever, but we feel the government should work harder to facilitate these claims so that they can go faster. I think a good gesture was done in the past year where more staff was hired so that there could be more people working in the land claims areas. These are the types of things that have to continue. We have to ensure that there are enough people working on the claims so that our government is not holding things up, so that if there is research that needs to be done, if negotiators have to negotiate that there are actually people, enough people dedicated to this so that they do not hold things up.

It is fine for some of the regions I suppose if their land claims are already concluded, but there are some that are not. There is a lot of them. There are the Metis, North Slave Metis, South Slave Metis, Akaitcho Treaty 8, the Dogribs are close, but they are still not finalized, the Deh Cho. There are a lot of groups out there that are still trying to successfully negotiate their land claims and some of them now are moving into self-government and that has been an outstanding sore point as well In the past they have not been able to deal with self-government in the land claims. Now there has been a movement and we feel that it is time that a very high priority be placed on this.

Mr. Speaker, the other issue is that this government needs clarity on the devolution issue and movement on the land claims and self-government issue will help to clarify that. We know that there have been attempts in the past particularly with a Northern Accord, but those have failed and those are largely failed because there are no land claims in some areas or self-government agreements. Those are the main reasons why we are asking for this motion to be passed and that this government place a very high priority on the settlement of land claims and self-government agreements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

Thank you. To the motion. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to second this motion. I agree with the comments that my colleague from Yellowknife North has made. Over the last several years as long as I have been serving in this House in many discussions in round tables on constitutional development, we always come back to the question of the unresolved land claims and self-government issues. It makes it very difficult to proceed and build on any progress that we have made because it remains out there. I certainly understand why some of the aboriginal leaders and groups are hesitant to proceed without these issues being resolved. It is a very large unanswered question.

With respect to political accord and Northern Accord, resource accords, it is almost impossible for aboriginal leaders to make sound decisions on behalf of their people without some of these questions being answered. I am very fearful about substantive resource development here in the North that will, due to the lack of progress on claims and self-government, will not deliver the kinds of benefits to Northerners that we want to see. We know that there is tremendous potential here in the North and we are going to see a lot of interest in this potential, but if it is not going to benefit the people of the North, it makes myself very nervous to proceed with it. We do not want to be selling ourselves short, so I think in any way that this government can assist, we know that most of the negotiations and relations are between the federal government and the First Nations, but in any way that this government can aid and facilitate and assist in that process we need to be very mindful of that. Since it will be to the benefit of all Northerners when these issues are resolved. Thank you.

The Speaker

To the motion. Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this motion reinforces that there be a very high priority placed on negotiations and settlement of outstanding land claims. As well, this motion also is reinforcing the agenda for a new Northwest Territories, which this government has been expressing in the North since the new year. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, yesterday in this House, I made a Minister's statement in regard to an agreement-in-principle that is going to be initialled by chief negotiators with the Dogribs on August 9, I believe. As well, we have had productive meetings with the committee for the Deh Cho First Nations just the other day. As well, we have had meetings with the Yellowknives and so forth. We continue to do these sort of things. As well, there is the Beaufort Delta negotiations that are going on, so this government has been pursuing these, but this motion urges us on to continue to place a very high priority in this area. With that the Cabinet will be voting in favour of this motion. Thank you.

The Speaker

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too am in full support of this motion. I believe there are lots of issues out there that people might not think are crucial or critical to land claims groups or aboriginal people, but it does put a strain on the relationship between the people in the aboriginal communities, the aboriginal leadership, the chiefs, the band councils, the tribal councils and also people at the national organizations such as Dene Nation. When they have to react to development proposals that come in front of them. Also this government is a key player in land claims and self-government negotiations. You are a player at the table and also, once those claims are settled you are signatories to those land claim agreements. I will use an example in regard to the Gwich'in Land Claim Agreement and the Inuvialuit Agreement. The Government of the Northwest Territories is responsible for Wildlife Act amendments. Those are a very serious component of the land claim agreement. Aboriginal people rely on wildlife and also forestry and other aspects in relation to the land and resources that are out there. This government is responsible for making those amendments to ensure those land claim agreements are enacted.

Another area that we touched on, that I raised, is the Northern Accord process. The problem with land claim agreements is the Northern Accord process was an avenue for the federal government to get out of the responsibility that they had and not agree to resource development agreements with aboriginal people in the land claim agreement itself. What they said is we will put another table over here. You guys can negotiate through the Northern Accord process, that is where you get your resource development benefits. That is where you will be able to know exactly how you are going to be economically able to receive benefits through developments that are going to take place in your settlement region. That component of the Gwich'in Land Claim Agreement and the Sahtu Agreement, even the Inuvialuit, has not been concluded. That is why whenever you talk about development, aboriginal people cannot go to the developer and say, sorry these are all the conditions you have to meet, this is part of the benefit agreement. We negotiate socio-economic agreements on the diamond industry, but over and above that as part of the land claim agreement there are also agreements that have to be fulfilled under the economic side of our land claim agreements.

We talk about negotiated contracts. We talk about economic benefits to aboriginal people. There is an economic section of the land claim agreement which is not clear because it has never been implemented. I strongly support this motion and I would like the, just for the other Members, this does not only pertain to negotiated land claim agreements or self-government agreements. It always pertains to implementing the existing land claim agreements that are there. That is something I do not see in here, but for the record, the people that do have land claims are having problems implementing their land claim agreements right now. I would like to, just for the record, make them aware that this also should relate to that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

To the motion. Mr. Ootes.