Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The committee has concluded that the range and scope of potential impacts of self-government agreements on the structures and operations of the GNWT and Assembly could be all-encompassing. Fully implemented self-government agreements could potentially have implications for every facet of government in the Northwest Territories. We also believe NWT residents are open to change but will also expect stability.

On the following pages our conclusions are organized according to the terms of the committee's mandate. Our recommendations include structural and action-oriented matters. These recommendations are only a starting point in an effort to provide a basis for a more coordinated and systematic examination of the changing face of governance in the Northwest Territories. Some changes may take a decade or more to unfold.

As we noted in the introduction to this report, the expression "implementing self-government" can be misleading. Describing the emergence of new systems of governance in this way can make it sound like a process that is done once or that can be completed in a specific time.

We believe it is important to stress that implementation of self-government agreements needs to be seen as an ongoing process. From this perspective, self-government agreements are not final agreements, they are beginning agreements. It is important to remember that change will occur over many years rather than completely and suddenly on a given date.

In practice, we think the staggered processes of negotiation and implementation will give rise to gradual and practical changes. Nonetheless, the Government of the Northwest Territories and Legislative Assembly may well face the prospect of ongoing reorganization and restructuring for the next 10 to 15 years as self-government agreements come into effect in the regions and communities.

Owing to time and resource constraints, we were unable to undertake a full and detailed review of every potential impact on existing legislation, or on particular programs or services. Nor was it possible to go into extensive detail on possible implications for all current governmental practices and procedures.

In the nine months during which the committee has been examining these issues, we have barely skimmed the surface. The committee believes ongoing work is required. We recommend that the appropriate bodies continue in-depth analysis on most elements of the current mandate, and we have provided recommendations in this regard.

The conclusions and recommendations reflect what we think is possible at this stage of the implementation process. We believe it is imperative that future Assemblies and governments continue to analyze and prepare for the changes that will flow from the trends we have identified in this report. We recommend that future Assemblies return to and build upon the issues presented in this report at regular intervals as implementation processes come into effect and as circumstances warrant.

Complex legislative, operational and financial issues have to be carefully evaluated, and the necessary time and resources have to be dedicated to planning and carrying out transition measures.

Responsibility for planning and preparing for the implementation of self-government does not fall upon the GNWT and the Legislative Assembly alone. The federal government and aboriginal governments are partners in this process and we encourage early attention to enhancing existing forums, and to promoting and establishing new forums, where appropriate, to ensure ongoing dialogue on implementation issues.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to turn this over to my colleague, Mr. Braden.