Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Minister. Would the Minister, now that they have decided to build a new school, commit to consulting with the special interest groups in Inuvik, such as day care, to see if their needs can be incorporated into a new school?

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department would be willing to consult with people in Inuvik. That's one of the purposes why the steering committee was set up -- the one that includes the town, the DEA, the DEC and so on -- was to make sure that the structure that is built is reflective of what the community wants. There may need to be some partnerships developed though in order to pay for some spaces that wouldn't normally qualify for government support, but we're always willing to look for those partnerships and find ways to accommodate community needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First I'd also like to welcome the fishermen, and Bea and the others, to the gallery today. They do represent a very important part of our economy and one that we feel very strongly must be sustained. We do have a valuable resource in Great Slave Lake, as well as in other lakes, both for commercial and for sport fishing. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the Minister of RWED has dedicated a full-time person to this industry. We have long felt, as a government, that we're not getting a good deal out of the freshwater fish marketing arrangement. It's where our fish are taken all the way to Winnipeg or wherever it is and mixed in to add value to the whole lot. I don't think that's being fair to our northern economy, and I'm very pleased with the work that Minister Bell has done and the work that the staff person will do with the fishermen in ensuring that we do have a sustainable economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the initiatives of the new task force group is to work with the Marine Stewardship Council to have our Great Slave Lake identified and certified as a sustainable fishery. Many other commercial fisheries involve things like restocking, then fishing out the same fish. Issues related to climate and things just do not see those fish having the same quality as our white fish from Great Slave Lake. We've known this for a long time, but we have not found a way to brand our fish as unique here. So under this initiative to work with the Marine Stewardship Council to have our lake certified as a stable fishery, would the government commit to support this endeavour? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, let me say that our government will support this initiative. Having said that though, we have to keep in mind that it is the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans that manages commercial fishing in the Northwest Territories. I hope someday that becomes our responsibility as a northern government to manage but, in the meantime, we'll work with DFO and we'll work with the other partners to achieve the goal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to ask the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs a question with regard to the Akaitcho Territory Government's treaty negotiations that are still ongoing. Just what measures is this government currently incorporating with providing the Akaitcho Territory Government a smooth transition through their treaty negotiation process and how are they supporting them in this process? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The honourable Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our government is one of the parties involved in the negotiations. We continue to participate in the negotiation sessions that are going on. We certainly are supportive of the other partners in negotiations that aim at trying to have an agreement-in-principle this year. The main table discussions and negotiations are ongoing. The next session, I believe, is March 1st to 3rd in Ndilo and we will be there with the objective of trying to make this a win for all parties; the aboriginal Akaitcho people, for the non-aboriginal residents in this area and all parties. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that response. Hopefully I'll be able to attend the next session on March 1st to the 3rd in Ndilo. I just wanted to ask the Minister in respect to some of the land development issues that are going on around the city of Yellowknife by Members of this side of the House and two Members on that side of the House about the treatment and exclusion of city council in this government's so-called preferential treatment of Akaitcho territory residents. I just want to ask the Premier what measures he is going to take for the Akaitcho people in this region to ensure that they should be given the preferential treatment when it comes to any kind of future land development that is currently now under Akaitcho Territory Government negotiations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, first of all we do, as a government, certainly respect the Akaitcho's right to negotiate an agreement. Second, we have an interim measures agreement in place, which deals with, among other issues, how land transfers in the interim will be

handled before we have a final agreement. Mr. Speaker, it is a process that we respect very much and one that we will ensure is followed as closely as we can. In saying that, Mr. Speaker, we also recognize that the Akaitcho have not yet moved into the land selection phase part of their negotiations. I hope that comes very soon, but there has been some land identification made available to us and, again, we respect their right to do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The land selection phase that the Akaitcho Territory Government will be embarking on in their next phase of negotiations with this government and the federal government is probably something that we all, especially Yellowknife residents, would be looking forward to reviewing. What commitment does the government have to ensure the Akaitcho Territory Government that the land selection process that they present to this government and to the federal government, which is probably going to include a lot of land around the city of Yellowknife...I know the city council is probably going to have a lot of issues with regard to that land selection process and it's probably going to be a close selection around city boundaries. How is this government going to mediate negotiations and help move this Akaitcho Territory Government process forward when the city comes forward with their objectives for selection process? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, we won't know until the land identification stage of the negotiations whether and what kind of conflict or disagreement there might be on land selection. Mr. Speaker, it has to be recognized that there are three parties at the table: the Akaitcho, who are negotiating their rights; the Government of the Northwest Territories, which has responsibility for those things that are under our jurisdiction; and, of course, the federal government. So we can't really play the role of a mediator in the negotiations. But we are aiming at having a result that is fair and that is a win for all parties. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.