Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs does utilize the existing internal resources first. We have looked at the Ministry. It is a relatively small central agency. It mainly functions out of Yellowknife. It provides our representation at the different negotiating tables. The implementation of claims that were finalized.
The request for additional staff is to try to get ready for two other areas, two other First Nations that are on the verge of formal negotiations. The first is the Akaitcho Treaty 8. They have agreed to a framework agreement. They have not finalized it. It has taken them two and a half years to get to that stage. They are poised to begin formal negotiations.
We have existing staff in the Ministry that are negotiators and assistant negotiators, but they are occupied in dealing with existing negotiations that are there. It is not possible to re-assign existing staff to carry out duties that are going to be starting once the Akaitcho Treaty 8 negotiations get into full swing. We need a full, dedicated representative of all of us to represent us at these tables.
The other region is the Deh Cho First Nations, who have been working quite hard over the last year to work on a framework agreement. They are not as far along as the Akaitcho Territory. They are working towards a framework agreement. Eventually, they will be in the position in this fiscal year that they will be ready to get into formal negotiations. As a result, we have put in a request and approved through the Financial Management Board to pursue this through the interim appropriation. It is the first time it comes out.
With the existing staff, everybody is very busy with their task right now. To suggest using existing staff to cover these other areas is very difficult. The nature of negotiations is a very difficult process.
Regarding a quarterly progress report, we are prepared to provide quarterly reports on negotiations to the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development. For the information of the Members, we provide monthly reports on each of the negotiations. We also see specific reports following each negotiation session. I anticipate there will be periodic, full verbal briefings and discussions with Ministerial staff. Certainly quarterly reports are going to be provided to the standing committee from now on for each of the claims.
Under office space renovations, the current space the Ministry is in, I am told, accommodates the existing staff. However, if we are going to add additional staff to the Ministry, we need to seek other spaces. I know the suggestion is there to provide accommodations in existing leases. We checked on it. We are told to put an operational unit of the Ministry into existing leases in other buildings is a bit difficult to do. We would have to get this facility ready to accommodate the staff. What the Ministry is requesting here is one level of office space above the existing floor, and renovate it with the amount we are requesting. We would like to keep the Ministry staff closer together. There is a lot of inter-Ministry discussion going on when you are dealing with land claims and self-government and implementation. It is a fairly small unit, but it requires additional space.
As for putting some of these positions in communities outside of Yellowknife, we work closely with negotiators on developing strategy for sessions. Negotiators work closely with other departments in Yellowknife. For example, if negotiations are about municipal lands, we have to include Municipal and Community Affairs. A lot of issues deal with wildlife, so we have to work with Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. We also provide negotiation training to other staff. As a result, the practice has always been to have the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs all in Yellowknife. We do not have field offices. Thank you.