The budget for the ministry continues to grow. Two new negotiation tables, the Deh Cho First Nation and the Akaitcho First Nation, have been added, bringing the total to seven active negotiation processes. The Minister assured the committee that the ministry would get smaller as more claims are settled, however the ministry will retain responsibility for implementation of the agreements.
Members noted that $751,000 was spent on travel, most of which happens in the south, and questioned as to why so many of the negotiations occurred outside the Northwest Territories, away from the beneficiaries. The ministry responded that the other two parties in the negotiations, the federal government and the aboriginal organization, request the negotiations to occur in the south.
The Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development recommends that the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs continue to press for negotiations to take place in the North, closer to the beneficiaries.
The committee also observed that the ministry had requested funding for positions at the Akaitcho table. The framework agreement for that table will not be signed until July, resulting in a possible lapse of funds at the end of the fiscal year.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That completes the report.