Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the Committee of the Whole's review of the 2004-05 main estimates it was recommended that the GNWT publicly respond to the Auditor General's Report on Land Claims Implementation.
The Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs has completed a comprehensive review of the Auditor General's report and the observations and recommendations contained within it.
The main points of the Auditor General's report are: (1) Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development must manage federal responsibilities in a way that achieves results; (2) there needs to be a focus by the federal government on fulfilling the spirit and intent of the land claim agreements; and (3) there must be a more effective process for resolving disputes arising from the implementation of land claim agreements.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that since the release of the Auditor General's report, significant efforts have been made to address various recommendations.
In response to the first point, DIAND is designing a new federal obligations reporting system of land claims implementation. DIAND has also restructured and streamlined the federal Steering Committee on Self-Government and Comprehensive Claims as part of the federal performance management framework. DIAND has committed to working with this committee to ensure that implementation issues are brought to the attention of senior officials in federal departments.
DIAND and the GNWT have also agreed to work with the Gwich'in, Sahtu and Inuvialuit implementation committees to overhaul the annual reporting process, making the annual reports more results-based. The Auditor General's office has volunteered to assist the implementation committees in designing annual reports that provide a more accurate and realistic account of progress for implementation activities and obligations.
Mr. Speaker, at recent Gwich'in and Sahtu implementation committee meetings, Canada proposed that a workshop with the Auditor General's office be held in the fall to design a new annual report format. The Government of the Northwest Territories is supportive of the fall workshop, and looks forward to participating in designing methods to improve the annual reports. The Gwich'in see the proposed workshop as favourable, and the Sahtu have stated that they will advise the GNWT and Canada of their support for this workshop.
Our government has suggested, Mr. Speaker, that the parties prepare ahead of time a list of questions, subjects and relevant concerns on annual reports to bring to the proposed fall workshop.
Mr. Speaker, although DIAND maintains the position that implementation success is defined by fulfilling specific obligations, the GNWT will continue to work with the Gwich'in, Sahtu and Inuvialuit to promote the spirit and intent of the land claim agreements.
The Auditor General's final point is that the various mechanisms for managing the land claim agreements are not effective in resolving disputes.
Mr. Speaker, worth noting is that the Auditor General's report acknowledges that instances of disagreement are outweighed by areas of agreement. In fact, there are only a handful of issues that have not been successfully resolved by the respective implementation committees.
It should also be noted that the Inuvialuit Arbitration Board has been used effectively in resolving outstanding Inuvialuit implementation disputes. In an effort to strengthen the dispute resolution process under the Gwich'in Land Claim Agreement, the GNWT supported a formal mediation process to assist in resolving implementation disputes. This process has been incorporated into the new implementation plan which was signed on November 14, 2003.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT continues to be committed to honouring the spirit and intent of the Gwich'in, Sahtu and Inuvialuit land claim agreements. The GNWT, working with the Gwich'in, Sahtu, Inuvialuit and Canada, will continue to promote the effective implementation of land claim activities and obligations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause