Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, June 23rd, and today, the Dogrib Treaty 11 Council placed full page ads in the Yellowknifer and in NewsNorth newspapers. I want to preface my remarks by saying that it is not a policy or practice of the GNWT to conduct negotiations through the media, and we stand by this position. I will, however, take this opportunity to set the record straight and correct factual errors in these ads and related news stories.
Negotiations at the Dogrib table are not at a standstill. They are ongoing and on track. All three chief negotiators agreed in May to the current schedule of negotiating sessions. The next negotiating session is planned for the first week of October and a chief negotiators' meeting is scheduled for late August.
Mr. Speaker, our chief negotiator, Patrick Scott, resigned for personal and private reasons and I respect that. He chose to make his resignation effective in August, at the time of the natural summer break, thus providing the least disruption to the negotiating process and allowing the negotiating table to maintain its momentum. Mr. Scott's replacement will be in place in time for the scheduled chief negotiators' meeting in August.
I understand the desire of the Dogrib Treaty 11 Council to conclude a final agreement as soon as possible. I also understand that the three parties agreed to leave some of the most difficult issues and much of the practical detail to be negotiated between the agreement-in-principle and the final agreement.
Mr. Speaker, some of these harder issues are fundamental to the future relationship between the GNWT and the Dogrib First Nation Government. The Intergovernmental Services Agreement is one of the vehicles that will be used to build a strong partnership between us. Since the signing of the AlP in January, there has been progress in designing an effective delivery system for health, education, and social services to all residents in the four Dogrib communities that protects the Dogrib language and culture.
Taxation is another issue of great importance to the Dogrib. Given the nature of taxation jurisdiction in Canada, the GNWT wished to understand the federal position on this matter before reviewing our negotiating mandate. The GNWT and the Dogrib waited a year for Canada to table its position. This information was made available late last week, and the GNWT will be in a position to respond in a matter of days.
Mr. Speaker, the financing of self-government is another difficult issue that must be negotiated. The GNWT has taken the lead in providing very detailed costing information for the Dogrib table. I remain confident that resolution on these and other matters will be achieved
The Dogrib chief negotiator has charged that our negotiator relies too much on Cabinet direction. The GNWT and Cabinet are committed to negotiating self-government agreements that can be successfully implemented. We provide negotiating mandates for our negotiators, and when an issue arises at a table that goes beyond their mandate, they return to Cabinet for further direction. This clearly demonstrates this government's commitment to public accountability and determination to find practical arrangements to implement aboriginal peoples inherent right of self-government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.