Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a single self-government agreement is sufficiently complex that confident forecasts about its implementation are not entirely credible. When two, three, six, seven or more self-government agreements are involved in the equation, the process of predicting implications is considerably more difficult.

Even though self-government agreements are generally quite detailed, these documents, and the other legal and political side agreements required for their implementation, will in all likelihood only provide a broad framework, rather than a detailed script, for governance in the Northwest Territories. The literal wording of every provision of every self-government agreement will probably not be fully implemented.

This does not mean these agreements will lose their legal or political force. Simply put, over time, practical approaches will have to be taken by all governments in the Northwest Territories if governance is to be effective. In fact, this is how the Constitution of Canada itself has evolved.

So while the situation is not entirely predictable at this point, a clearer picture is emerging as each new agreement is concluded. These agreements will result in fundamental changes to many aspects of the way the Legislative Assembly and the Government of the Northwest Territories now do things, including: law-making; policy-making; government decision-making; government operations, including program and service delivery; human resources management; land and resources matters; financial management including budgeting and appropriations; raising revenues through taxation and other means; spending on capital assets and other facilities; and, intergovernmental relations.

Many people, in many organizations and levels of government, are thinking about these potential changes, and are trying to plan for the potential implications. They are looking for practical ways to manage a smooth transition.

There will be fundamental changes in the relationships among the community, regional and territorial levels of government. Responsibilities for law-making and for the delivery of several programs and services will change. Self-government agreements often involve systems for delivery of programs and services to all residents. The people we will hold accountable will consequently change. Governments will be required to consult more with each other and to coordinate and cooperate in their activities.

Government is simply the way we organize ourselves to achieve our common goals. We are all involved. We share responsibilities for finding common objectives and addressing competing interests. This is why we so often hear people talking about partnerships, stakeholder cooperation, co-management and shared jurisdiction.

The practical issues surrounding implementation of self-government agreements are not always easy to determine from simply reading the agreements. In fact, the expression implementation of self-government can be misleading. Describing the evolution of a system of governance in this way makes it sound like a process that is done once or that can be completed in a specific time. Would we describe the political, economic and social processes that go on continuously in Canada as implementing public government? It is important to remember that change will occur over many years rather than completely and suddenly on a given date.

Mr. Speaker, I would now like to pass the committee report to committee Member Mr. Delorey. Thank you.