An ongoing task of the special committee is to continually review the implementation of self-government. At present, the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, on behalf of the Government of the NWT and in the interests of all NWT residents, is engaged in negotiations, along with the Government of Canada, with seven aboriginal groups.
The implementation of self-government will see the emergence of new models of governance at the community, regional and territorial levels in the North. These new models of governance will include aboriginal governments, aboriginal and partnership governments, and community governments. These governance arrangements will necessitate intergovernmental relationships between federal, territorial and aboriginal governments. A territorial government will continue to represent the interests of all residents of territorial-wide matters.
In keeping with its mandate, the special committee receives updated information and briefings on the status of negotiations and proposed self-government models from representatives of the Government of the Northwest Territories. We will continue to review this information towards making recommendations to this Assembly concerning self-government implementation.
The special committee's mandate is not one that requires an extensive public hearing process. We have made it abundantly clear to all our aboriginal governments that the special committee is here to support and complement and not otherwise overlap or in any way interfere with self-government negotiations and the emergence of intergovernmental relationships in the North.
Our committee has had a number of meetings since we were established and we have been considering a number of important aspects of our responsibilities. We will continue to look at constitutional issues, the financing of self-government and the impact of related issues on the future operation of the Legislative Assembly and government.