Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I think this motion is not a threat, but I think it is a means of getting the best from the government to the people of the Northwest Territories, especially the people in the rural communities. The reason I say that is because the motion is pretty clear what we want to do -- consider and make recommendations in regards to the equitable distribution of Government of the Northwest Territories resources in the Northwest Territories communities.
Those Members who may not have been here during the 13th Assembly where we had a major deficit and where we had to cut back on programs and services, and also that there has been a change in the way the distribution of capital allocations have been done.
In the past, in the Northwest Territories when we were one large territory, every community was assured an allocation in regard to infrastructure. It did not matter what size your community was. That was the awareness that everybody had. Everybody was going to be treated fairly and everybody would have the ability. It did not matter if you were Colville Lake or Pond Inlet or Lutselk'e or Tsiigehtchic, everyone had a basic idea that they would have infrastructure in your communities. You will have schools, you will have health centres, you will also have the resources to carry those out.
I think we have to look at exactly where we go in regard to developing capacity in small communities. Small communities need just as much capacity as larger communities. In most cases, their needs are probably more urgent than say the larger communities because you can depend on existing resources that are already there.
In most major centres, you will have consultant companies. You will have people who deal with accounting firms, lawyers, you name it. Those people have set up shop, they do run a business in a lot of these centres and I think that we have to realize that a lot of communities have to be able to develop capacity so they can run programs and services and be accountable, not only to the communities, but to the government. Without proper resources and proper distribution of those resources, I think we are setting these people up for failure. I think we do have to ensure that when we say community empowerment, it really means empowerment, not just a downloading of services and programs that we know at the end of the day are not going to work anyhow.
I think the other recommendation that the committee wants to consider looking at is the geographical makeup of the Northwest Territories. One thing we have not really done or seen in this building is, where do we see the cultural makeup of the Northwest Territories? We have the Inuvialuit, we have the Gwich'in, we have the different aboriginal organizations. We have communities that have a unique history but it is not reflected even here in this Legislature. It is not reflected in regard to information materials that are given out by this government. Every aboriginal group from the Inuvialuit to the Cree to the Slavey and Dogrib, all have their own unique cultural aspect and traditions that they have practiced for hundreds of thousands of years. I think that is something that we as a government have to build up into the fabric of who we are.
I think that with division, with regard to Nunavut and other territories, they seem to put a lot of focus into their culture, as to who they are as an Inuit people. I think here in the west, we need to start exploring that more to ensure that we do have resources to develop materials and develop the information that will be handed down to other governments or other people within the Territories, so they get a better understanding of what the Northwest Territories really is. I think that is something that we do not seem to take enough time to realize.
I also think that with regard to where we are going as a territory, we have to realize that change has happened. Change has taken place in the Northwest Territories with division. Change has taken place with regard to the make-up of this House. At one time in the 13th Assembly, the majority of the Members in this House represented rural communities. There has been a switch now where the majority of the Members in this House represent urban communities and large municipal tax-based communities. We cannot lose sight that there is a definite need to change how we conduct ourselves as a government and conduct ourselves as the Legislature and seriously review what we are doing by way of ensuring that the legislation passed by this government and the process for distribution is fair.
One of the arguments we hear a lot, especially from Members in small communities and Members from rural communities, is the whole way government distributes capital. One of the requirements of this government and the whole area that we talk about is based on per capita distribution. On the other hand, when we go knocking on Ottawa's door and looking at federal funding we are telling them, "Sorry, you cannot use per capital distribution because it is not fair to the Northwest Territories." That is the same argument put by the small communities to this government.
It is not fair to small communities because you are penalized for having a small population. The same thing applies nationally in Canada when we go to Ottawa pounding on their door for funding for highways or funding for social programs and housing. That is the exact argument that we use to the federal government, yet when it comes to us, we tell the communities, "Sorry, that is the formula we have to use, it is based on per capita." For things like that we have to practice what we preach on both sides, if we tell the federal government that is the way they should conduct themselves.
The other thing, just for the comfort of the communities, with regard to the establishment of the committee and how it conducts itself in the manner approved by the committee and in accordance with the Rules of the Legislative Assembly, we will have to be accountable to this Legislature. We do not want to impose, enhance or encourage what is going on in other committees. They have their mandate. We will have ours. There will not be overlapping mandates because that is something we can make sure of.
I think it is important as a Legislature that we do seriously take a look at this, knowing we have over a year left in our mandate. Once this business plan is concluded, we will have one more business plan cycle. If we as a government are serious about really looking at ensuring that we listen to the concerns of our rural communities, realizing that they are unique and realizing that they have different problems with regard to circumstances, we will make our best effort to allow them to be heard and for ourselves as a government to have another debate when the report comes forward to this Legislature. We will have an opportunity to get input from other Members of this Legislature.
I also think it is important to realize that the communities are feeling threatened by development and threatened by what is happening around them, especially when we talk to a lot of our elders in a lot of our small communities. They and a lot of us here are born and raised in our communities. That for us is home. We cannot go to Vancouver or Edmonton or wherever and say, "This is my home." It is not our home. Most of us are stuck in a situation where we have a land claim and obligation because of geographical claim settlements in the Northwest Territories, that we have to somehow take into account the geographical differences in the Northwest Territories.
I think we have to seriously look at where we do go with self-government. Where do we go with claim settlements? Where do they fit into the economics of communities and the well-being of the Northwest Territories? I think it is important as a committee and as legislators that we take the time to allow the committee to go forward and do its work. To come back and make recommendations to the House and debate those recommendations in this House to see what the findings of the committee are, and not to feel threatened. I say that it is a style of consensus government when you look at ensuring that the people who are feeling threatened and feeling left out, we have to make room for them in a consensus style of government by allowing them to have their day to find whatever information is out there and ensuring that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that the well-being of our rural communities will be preserved and protected; and the people living in those communities do not feel threatened.
I would just like to thank the Members for listening and I hope you will support the motion.