Mr. Speaker, I would like to report on my meeting last Friday with federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew; Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Scott Brison; and my colleagues from the other provinces and territories.

In January, Prime Minister Martin made a commitment to Premiers that provinces and territories would be more directly involved in Canada-U.S. relations and international matters. He tasked Minister Pettigrew to find ways to implement this commitment.

Minister Pettigrew and provinces and territories reached a consensus at the Montreal meeting that specific proposals on the participation of provinces and territories in Canada-U.S. relations and international matters be developed for review by the Council of Federation in July and adopted at the First Ministers meeting this summer. The intent is to provide a formalized agreement that allows a significant role for provinces and territories in international relations. Options will also be developed for review and adoption by First Ministers to coordinate the effective representation of provincial/territorial interests in Canada, U.S. policy and other intergovernmental aspects of Canada-U.S. relations.

The meeting provided an opportunity to get issues on the table and give direction to working groups on the product that is expected for this summer. There was consensus around the table that these proposals should reflect the commitment on all sides to make a new approach work and that success will require flexibility in arrangements to take into consideration international protocols.

Mr. Speaker, as I noted in this House last week, the Northwest Territories has a number of important interests related to Canada-U.S. relations and international affairs where we need and should be represented. Some of these issues include continental energy matters, ballistic missile defence and northern foreign policy. I had the opportunity to highlight NWT interests and the effect of policies and decisions taken by other governments in these areas during the roundtable discussions.

Mr. Speaker, in order to pursue our objective to become a have territory, it is critical that we continue to participate in these federal/provincial meetings to continue to build our relationships with our provincial and federal colleagues. This is not something that happens overnight. It will require a concerted and sustained effort to ensure that the interests of the Northwest Territories are considered in discussions amongst our partners in the federation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause