Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak to this motion. Mr. Speaker, obviously the pipeline train is coming toward us and it's probably actually right at our doorstep with the filing of the application just a few days ago. There's no question we, as a government, are feeling squeezed because there are lots of things that we wanted to have in place before this pipeline project becomes a reality in order that our jurisdiction and our people receive the maximum benefits out of such a megaproject, a project that would be ranked worldwide as one of the biggest projects of our time. Mr. Speaker, I know that there's no question and I know myself and I'm sure people in my riding would like to see this pipeline go through and we would like to see the Mackenzie Valley pipeline go first because we know that if the Alaskan pipeline goes first for any reason, then there's a very good chance that the Mackenzie Valley pipeline will get behind in the line-up maybe for an indefinite period of time.

It is a very good thing that a group like APG -- Aboriginal Pipeline Group -- has been so successful by working very diligently and step by step and on time to place themselves in a position to maximize the benefits that would come from the pipeline construction and the distribution of gas that would go through those pipelines for a long time to come. Mr. Speaker, their partnership with the industry consortium made up of the biggest players in the industry have really marked a new beginning and a new chapter on aboriginal equity partnerships. The real qualitative partnership, unprecedented in its scale and in its substance, and I really congratulate them for that. I want to formally recognize the leadership of Mr. Fred Carmichael and the former Premier, Nellie Cournoyea, in that regard.

The regrettable thing, Mr. Speaker, is that the same cannot be said about many other important players in the North, and I think we really ought to in this House be mindful of that fact. That is a burden on this Assembly and we, as leaders, have to work harder to see how we could bring this circle into a full circle and that everybody is included in this resource development, that everybody feels like they are a part of this project and that they would all benefit from this project in a way that they think they ought to. I really think that as we debate and we await and we prepare for this pipeline, we need to really address our mind to that. It should really concern us all, Mr. Speaker, that we have a whole region in Deh Cho who have filed injunctions on this. It's not directly related, but

it's sort of an issue that speaks to a lot of things. What that tells me is that there is a genuine concern and grievances that we really need to address collectively. Mr. Speaker, this Legislature, the Premier and the federal government and all its responsible Ministers and the Prime Minister, I believe, must sit down and address the grievances of Deh Cho people and work out a settlement acceptable to all the parties involved. They must negotiate, and negotiate hard, to resolve this. If there is a will there and if they sit long enough, an agreement should be able to be reached.

Mr. Speaker, another big area that we haven't resolved -- and it's 25 or 26 years since the Berger Inquiry made major recommendations about what needed to be done before the pipeline should come North -- there are still lots of issues that remain unresolved, and I think Mr. Braden talked to some of that. Another big area I could think of that's unresolved is the devolution of a province like ours from Ottawa to the North. Mr. Speaker, we know that the city of Yellowknife is the diamond capital of North America and it's not Vancouver and that the DeBeers Snap Lake mine that will be operating in the near future is the first mine owned and operated by DeBeers that is situated outside of the African continent. These diamond mines have put Canada on the world map as one of the most prolific diamond producers in the world, yet the Government of the Northwest Territories is not responsible for mines. The Minister of Mines for the Northwest Territories is situated in Ottawa. We also know that this megaproject of the pipeline, oil and gas project, we know that the Minister responsible for energy is not our very own Mr. Bell, or honourable Minister Bell, as much as we would like him to be. The Minister of Energy for the NWT is sitting in Ottawa. Ministers of Energy, Ministers of Mines, Ministers of Labour, all of those important areas that impact what we do and the kind of decision-making that we want to do and are capable of doing, we don't have jurisdiction over them.