Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are saying the federal government has a lot of responsibilities and jurisdiction. We hear the federal government is basically stocking up their shelves with people. They are moving people into the oil and gas sector, yet as this government, we are talking about devolution eventually trying to take things over. The federal government is expanding in that area. I think that as a government, we have an obligation to ensure that any of those jobs that the federal government are developing or putting in place, we should work out an agreement with the federal government that those positions they are putting into the oil and gas sector will eventually either transfer to ourselves as a government, knowing we have heard out loud from Minister Nault that devolution is his priority and he wants us to move on it.
As a government, we are not really moving as fast as I would like to see on that envelope with regard to the Northern Accord. I feel that if we do not do anything within the next six months, we are going to miss the window of opportunity to get it through in the 14th Assembly. It has to pass through federal legislation. We have to develop our own regulations with regard to the Northwest Territories oil and gas act or whatever act we are going to put in place. It is going to take a while to develop. For the federal Parliament to pass it through, from our experience of land claims being implemented through the federal system, you are talking a long, long process, especially having groups such as the Reform Party and other opposition groups there, which could drag this out for some years.
I feel as a government we have to eventually call the Northern Accord process and put time lines or establish a negotiating table so we will negotiate a Northern Accord made in the North by Northerners. We cannot continue to fund organizations or agencies to have meetings to talk about it. We have been talking about a Northern Accord since 1988. That is when the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Mulroney, signed it over when the Dene/Metis claim was signed, which was part and parcel of the Dene/Metis claim process. A lot of our land claim groups in the North are waiting reluctantly to get that in place. The Gwich'in claim is a good example.
We have oil and gas companies on our doorstep, but under our subsurface resources section of our land claim agreement, it is pretty vague. That is where we are supposed to negotiate benefit agreements, access agreements, participation agreements on all aspects from training to environmental protection to alcohol policies, whatever you want to call them. However, we are not moving anywhere on it.
It is causing a grave problem with the Gwich'in, especially the benefit agreement they have with the company working there now. They are getting hijacked because there is nothing in regulations or policies where the Minister of Indian Affairs signs off an oil and gas lease, basically with no agreements attached to it. This government has an obligation where we are signatories to that Northern Accord agreement and those land claim agreements.
As a government, we do have an obligation to the residents of the Northwest Territories to move on this. I think we do have to start developing the different regulations and acts that are going to be needed to take over the oil and gas and mineral responsibilities in the North. We should be doing it now so we can show the federal government that we are serious, we are moving on it, we are going to have our own legislation.
We can start looking at what is happening in the east coast with regard to Nova Scotia or Newfoundland, but the perfect scenario would be the Alberta Natural Resources Agreement, which was signed because it is one of the best agreements in Canada. If push comes to shove, maybe we should give the Alberta government the authority to move their jurisdiction all the way to the Beaufort Sea. Then we will just enact the Alberta Oil and Gas Act, so we will get a larger portion of the revenues instead of having it all flow to Ottawa.
We as a government have to move on this. I still have four minutes. That is it.