Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am going to be speaking today in favour of the motion that
is before us. I would like to start off by thanking the Regular Members of this House for the input that they have had in putting this motion together over the last number of days. I would also like to thank the Premier. I do know, Mr. Speaker, that the Premier and his government are making this a priority and they are working hard at achieving our goals in Ottawa.
I do want to talk for a second about this motion. Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government -- and there has been some discussion again here today about what the federal government is or isn't doing -- we must remember that the Conservative government has only been in office for 10 months. The previous government, the Liberal government, was there for 13 years and did absolutely nothing, Mr. Speaker. I believe Stephen Harper, when Mr. Harper was in our Great Hall a couple of months ago, I believe what he said. I believe he is a man of his word. I believe Jim Prentice, the Minister of DIAND. He is a man of great integrity and I believe, as well, a man of his word. I do believe that the Conservative government will hold to their promises of delivering a resource and devolution deal here in the Northwest Territories in the near future.
Mr. Speaker, what I see is no one seems to really respect our government. To me, that's a problem. I mentioned it in my Member's statement today. We seem to lack the respect, especially in the aboriginal community and the governments across the Northwest Territories, the respect factor is not there and, Mr. Speaker, we seem to always get the short end of the stick when it comes to any development or opportunities or anything. The government seems to always be in last place.
From where I stand, Mr. Speaker, the best thing the federal government could do is look at actually blowing up DIAND in Ottawa and take it out to the regions. Take it where the northern development is happening here in Yellowknife, Hay River, Inuvik. Put the offices here where the people can actually get to work on northern development issues, or in Whitehorse or Iqaluit.
They don't belong in Ottawa. One of the big difficulties I see too is the federal bureaucrats in Ottawa trying to protect their jobs at the sake of our territory trying to gain its aspirations and its development as a territory. These bureaucrats, Mr. Speaker, are standing in the way of that happening, in my mind. The government in Ottawa, the Conservative government, has to realize this and take measures to stop that type of attitude from happening in Ottawa. Northern development belongs to northerners, Mr. Speaker, and this is where it belongs.
I also wanted to touch on another item, Mr. Speaker. To me, when there is a dispute and obviously there is a dispute here at play even in the Northwest Territories between some of our aboriginal governments, our government and Ottawa. There is a dispute. The fact of the matter, Mr. Speaker, is the revenue is leaving our territory and going to Ottawa. What I have been saying since the day I walked through those doors is why don't we, by any means possible and if we have to take legal action, why don't we demand the federal government put every last cent that leaves this territory in resource revenue in trust until such a time as there is an agreement amongst northern governments and there is an agreement with northern governments and Ottawa? Once the money starts piling up, Mr. Speaker, I think there would be more of an onus obviously to settle our differences and to divide up those resource royalties.
If I could, just one other item here, and that is if we look at the recent raft of federal cuts and the impact we had in the territory the size of the Northwest Territories, 43,000 people here, Mr. Speaker, we are not a province. We have no ability to replace those dollars. I am not sure how it's communicated with Ottawa from our government, but that message has to be sent loud and clear, Mr. Speaker. The federal government can't continue to take our resource revenues and expect us to replace cuts when they cut across the board with literacy cuts, cuts to the Court Challenges Program, cuts to volunteerism. It runs the full gamut of what we are trying to do as a people and trying to develop ourselves as a territory. It is shameful and that should not be allowed to happen.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I do support the motion. I do support the Conservative government in Ottawa, but the message has to get through to them. I am not sure who is going to deliver that message, the cuts happened across the board, various departments were affected. Somebody has to get the message through to Ottawa that we have to be treated fairly. We have not been treated fairly and I think it's time, Mr. Speaker, that we stand up and demand that we deserve better as a territory and as a people, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
---Applause