Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the committee met with the Minister on February 17, 2004 to review the draft 2004-2005 main estimates for the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs. The ministry is proposing a $48,000 decrease in operations and expenses from the 2003-2004 main estimate. The committee is concerned about the slow implementation of land claims agreements and hopes to see considerable progress during the term of the 15th Assembly. Despite the considerable number of years since the signing of the agreement with the Inuvialuit, Gwich'in and Sahtu people, there are still numerous issues that need to be addressed so that critical parts of the agreements can have practical effect. The long-standing need for amendments to the Wildlife Act is only one example.

Earlier this year, the Auditor General of Canada made public her report to the House of Commons on matters of special importance for 2003. Chapter eight of the report included a number of observations and recommendations about Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's approach to land claims implementation which was found to leave considerable room for improvement.

While the report is directed at the federal government some of its observations and findings could apply equally to the Government of the Northwest Territories. The committee strongly believes the GNWT must make its position on these findings and on its own land claim implementation responsibilities clear to northerners by preparing a formal response to the Auditor General's report.

The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight recommends that within 60 days the government prepare and make public a formal response to the Auditor General's observations and findings on land claims implementation within 60 days.

In reviewing the draft main estimates, Members noted that the budget for the ministry is not broken down between separate functions such as the directorate, internal administration, devolution and resource revenue sharing negotiations, and land claims and self-government negotiations. In the future, committee would like to see the Aboriginal Affairs budget defined in more detail.

The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight recommends that the Aboriginal Affairs budget be separated into multiple activities beginning with the 2005-2008 draft business plans.

Members noted that the mandate of the ministry as set out under GNWT policy 11.50 does not specifically make reference to negotiation of devolution and resource revenue sharing agreements and are concerned that it does not adequately reflect the works the ministry does on behalf of all northerners. Committee would like to see the mandate of the Ministry updated and restated more accurately.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That concludes committee's report and we are ready to proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I'd like to ask the Minister if he would wish to bring in his witnesses.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Does committee agree that we'll allow the Minister to bring in his witnesses?

Agreed. Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please proceed to bring in the witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Mr. Minister, would you like to introduce your witnesses?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With me are Mark Warren, assistant deputy minister of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs; and, Steve Iveson, executive director for negotiations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier, and welcome, gentlemen. General comments from Members. Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Chairman, is Mr. Handley trying to get us into detail already? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I see the Minister starts his presentation breaking out some of the expenses. Could the Minister break out other expenses he has pegged at $1.634 million? If he could start by breaking that out to give us a little better understanding.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The other expenses are travel and transportation: for negotiations travel, $555,000; and other Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs related travel, $213,000. That's for going to ministerial meetings, annual assemblies, federal/provincial/territorial intergovernmental processes and so on. Secondary are materials and supplies, $80,000. This is paper for the photocopies and printers and so on. Purchased services, $109,000. Communications are things like bills for phones, faxes, courier, freight and so on. Contract services, $485,000. These are major expenses and they include anticipated services of costing and modeling of self-government devolution related modeling that has to be done, strategic advice with aboriginal issues and so on. Fees and payments, $12,000, includes professional fees, registration, event fees, Quicklaw subscription. Other expenses, $80,000, these are chargebacks related to MAA's use of communications and contract registry chargeback. Computer related costs, $100,000, this is charge back from TSC for evergreening, as well as administration and maintenance of computer-related equipment and software. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, on the travel there are negotiations travel, first, at $555,000. Any of the staff who are involved in negotiations, whether it's devolution or land resource agreements, self-government agreements, would be travelling with the exception of secretaries. There are 42 employees in the ministry. Three are secretaries, so essentially 39 people at some point probably travel.

The other category I had was the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs related travel at $213,000. This is for department people and the Minister for participation at ministerial meetings, annual assemblies, federal/provincial/territorial intergovernmental processes that we take part in, information workshops with regard to negotiations, and support to regional management committees. Mr. Chairman, there are quite a number of people who are travelling in both those categories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm not sure how to proceed on the next one because I'm a little confused. Do we send the whole office on every trip? When it comes to negotiations, is anyone there? Thirty-nine people travel. I guess, well, it's a silly question, but I need an answer to that one, as well as the fact does this department sponsor travel of other departments? Are we taking everybody we can find on these trips? Let's get some feedback from the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, no, everyone doesn't travel as a team to every negotiation. We have a number of negotiations such as self-government, land and resources devolution, going on at any one time. People are assigned to particular teams. It would only be those people who are involved from the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs in that particular set of negotiations or meeting who would travel to that one.

Mr. Chairman, in addition to our own staff from MAA travelling, we do at times pay for the cost of lawyers from Justice to travel for specific purposes that are under discussion or negotiation. We do not pay for other departments to travel. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the very good answers from the Minister. What does a team consist of? Can you break it down and give me an idea? Are we sending 15 negotiators as one team? Are we sending a suitcase full of lawyers? What does a team consist of? How many people are we talking about and what kind of expertise are

we sending, such as four negotiators and four lawyers, et cetera? If the Minister could oblige us all, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, as you can recognize, it depends on the negotiations happening. We would typically have a chief negotiator, an assistant negotiator and legal counsel travelling together to a negotiation meeting. Depending on what is under discussion, you could have a lands negotiator there or you might have an implementation negotiator there, but that would depend on the agenda. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Hawkins.