Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the House. Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, in 2005, Alberta announced the creation of the Alberta Centennial Scholarship Program, which created 325 annual scholarships across Canada, valued at $2,005 each starting in the 2006-07 school year.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that 25 scholarships have been made available for distribution in the Northwest Territories for individuals pursuing post-secondary education. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment will award these scholarships to students pursuing training in the area of skilled trades and occupations. We will announce the first round of award winners in February 2007.

Scholarships will be awarded to candidates who:

• • are NWT residents;
• • have recently completed an educational program, for example, high school or pre-employment program;
• • demonstrate that they are continuing their formal education by pursuing or attending training in a trade or occupation; and,
• • priority will be given to women in trades.

Applications for these scholarships will be available through the student financial assistance section of Education, Culture and Employment.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the Alberta government has included the Northwest Territories in the Centennial Scholarship Program and I have thanked the Alberta Minister of Education for making these awards available to our students. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has had many years of partnership with Alberta Education and these scholarships are a further testament to that close relationship. Mr. Speaker, through this statement today, I ask my colleagues in the House to join me in thanking Alberta for their support that will be used to help our students pursue studies in the high needs area of trades and occupations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, FASD, is a lifelong disability. Effective prevention efforts, early diagnosis, supportive environments and a range of special supports and services are necessary to assist individuals and their families in their journey toward self-reliance and well-being.

The Government of the Northwest Territories, GNWT, is committed to addressing the issue of FASD. As you may be aware, the GNWT has been a member of the Canada Northwest Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Partnership since 2000. The NWT is now the lead jurisdiction for the group. The alliance is made up of seven jurisdictions that work towards the development and promotion of an inter-provincial/territorial approach to prevention, intervention, care and support of individuals affected with FASD.

On September 25th, as lead Minister of the partnership, Minister Miltenberger hosted a meeting in Yellowknife with Ministers from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Yukon, Nunavut and Saskatchewan participating. We would like to commend Mr. Miltenberger for his commitment and dedication to this important issue.

At the meeting, the annual report from the research network was reviewed and future research opportunities were discussed. The report on the most recent conference and the steering committee's annual activities report and work plan was discussed, as was the Even One is Too Many: A Call for a Comprehensive Action Plan for FASD, recently tabled by the federal Standing Committee on Health. Ministerial colleagues and the NWT will call on Health Canada and the standing committee to recognize the work of the partnership and ensure that meaningful consultation with our group occurs in the development of any national comprehensive plan for FASD.

This is the first time the NWT has hosted a Canada Northwest Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Partnership Ministers' meeting. There is great value in this work. All the participating territories and provinces share similar challenges and it makes sense that we work together to strengthen our efforts. Everyone will benefit from sharing experiences and resources and the NWT is bringing some exciting work forward.

The GNWT is committed to preventing FASD in our territory. It is an important task and with alliances such as this, we are working together to achieve this goal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot of talk lately and since I have been here about the resource revenues and the devolution talks and it seems to me, Mr. Speaker, like we go in circles. I would like to stand today and issue a challenge. I would like to challenge the leadership of the major regions across the Northwest Territories to come together in one room as leaders, no bureaucrats, no negotiators, no consultants, just the leaders, because they are elected to represent the best interests of the people. I think if we can get our leaders into one room and come up with some kind of an agreement, then maybe we can be armed to go to Ottawa and come up with some numbers as far as a deal goes.

I respect the fact that the leaders want to represent their people and get the best deal for their people and well they should, but sometimes you have to look at the overall picture and right now it seems like we are spinning our wheels. Everyone has a different agenda and I think the agenda for the leadership across the NWT should be the same. It should be getting the best deal possible for the Northwest Territories. If it has to go into a trust fund, let's put it into a trust fund. If they come up with self-government agreements, then they can divide it according to some criteria that they come up with.

Mr. Speaker, pride is a terrible thing sometimes if used the wrong way. Leaders have to be leaders, put their pride aside and come to some kind of an agreement. Mr. Speaker, I am starting to be very concerned about the amount of money that is leaving the Northwest Territories. We are not coming up with an agreement. We have to get on the same page. I have to challenge the leadership of the major regional groups in the Northwest Territories to come up with a wise decision and give direction to the people who work with them to work out the details. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) Mr. Speaker, the issue of hearing negotiating resource revenue sharing and devolution talks between the GNWT and federal government, we're beginning to tune out the phrase. Mr. Speaker, for the past 20-plus years this government is still in negotiations, but no light yet at the end of the tunnel. We cannot wait any longer, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, with the recent cuts of $1 billion from the federal government, are we waiting patiently for another drastic cut, this time in health, education or even justice, that is high importance in our regions and NWT?

Mr. Speaker, we need to take a proactive approach, instead of reacting to these changes that occurred. We must lobby the federal government as a united Government of the NWT. Mr. Speaker, we need to invite our aboriginal government neighbours to the negotiating table. The federal government is really not listening to our leadership. It's time that this government come to some agreement in writing with our neighbouring aboriginal governments. Go to Ottawa with a united front. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, Regular Members on this side of the House are going to stand up and try to get some answers as to why three years into the life of this government, we seem no closer to having an agreement-in-principle amongst our northern governments with respect to devolution and resource revenue sharing for our fight with the federal government. We need to have devolution and resource revenue sharing. We need surety on our future. Our children and the next generations to come are counting on us and this government to deliver. Mr. Speaker, where does responsibility lie for the fact that we still do not have a deal? Most are very quick to point and lay blame with the federal government. They are the easy targets, Mr. Speaker. However, much of the responsibility falls on us as northern leaders. Our government and our Premier have failed in getting all the aboriginal governments and leaders together to get us to a unified position going forward to push for a deal, a deal that is collectively what is in all of our best interest.

Let's be honest, Mr. Speaker, with each other here. We all want others to like us. From a very young age, we are taught to get along with others. So it is not hard to see, even as leaders, how many of us strive to be liked above all else. Unfortunately, for our Premier being liked is not a criteria of leadership success. Your staff may like you, MLAs may like you and the public may like you, but why are we not meeting the goal of getting an agreement-in-principle signed? Do aboriginal governments and leadership respect you and, in effect, our government? Mr. Speaker, it would appear that they don't.

Leadership is not a popularity contest, Mr. Speaker. Clearly one of our collective goals and objectives coming through these doors three years ago was to get an AIP and proceed toward a deal with the federal government. We obviously have not done that. We have less than a year left and nothing to show for our efforts. Leadership is more critical today than it ever has been and we need to

have someone get all of our leaders together to have a unified voice in our fight with Ottawa.

The time for playing Mr. Nice Guy is over, Mr. Speaker. This government has to get tough and make demands and earn the respect that it needs to deliver on what all of our residents put us all here to do, and leadership, Mr. Speaker, is all about respect and we need some immediately. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if you follow some rough math in the two and a half minutes that I have and each of us has to stand here and make a statement today, $1,250 will have flown out of the Northwest Territories in resource royalties and taxes. That's $1,250 in two and a half minutes. That's three- quarters of a million dollars a day, Mr. Speaker, because we have not yet been able to get ourselves together and present that unified voice, that unified bargaining strength with Ottawa among all the northern leaders to ensure that our part of Canada has the share of wealth of this country that most other parts of Canada already have.

Mr. Speaker, it's a dilemma. We don't have a hammer. We don't have aces up our sleeves. We are a territory under the Constitution and the laws of Canada, but what we are really lacking, Mr. Speaker, after decades now of trying to establish ourselves as a legitimate partner in the development and the management and the benefits of all the resources up here, we have lacked the will on the part of the federal government to really make this happen. We are hobbled, as some of my colleagues have already talked about today, by a lack of unity among our collective leadership and that really should be where we should be going. We do, Mr. Speaker, have the moral and the political, even the legal right, to demand this, but we've got to present that strong, unified force.

We've got to set some terms because at the rate at which the wealth is leaving this territory and the expansion of those resources and that wealth, Mr. Speaker, we have a lot to lose. So now is the time when we really have to apply ourselves, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're having a theme day, as you can tell, on resource revenue sharing. We've been talking about this for a long time. On the plus side, we've got a lot of resources from which to derive revenue in the Northwest Territories. Not every jurisdiction has that, so let's lay that out first and count our blessings. We've got the resources. We have enough resources to make revenue sharing a win-win for everyone: for Canada, for our territory, for aboriginal governments and their aspirations.

My worry, Mr. Speaker, is that we are in an extremely vulnerable situation. We don't have control of our resources, so we don't have control over the development or the agenda of development. What would give the Government of Canada a good reason to want to cut a good deal for northerners? There's only 43,000 of us. Barely a good-sized town by southern standards. We have a vast geography, but we also have vast resources. But we don't have a lot of people. Is there anything about the North or the people that could possibly want to make the Government of Canada be very fair and generous to us? Region by region aboriginal governments with unsettled claims could probably make a good legal argument for a fair deal. In addition to that though I believe that it's the potential strength of a unified effort from the North that could bring about a fair deal from a legal and moral obligation. Right now we're literally and figuratively all over the map though.

Some regions are satisfied with benefits from businesses and employment opportunities from resource development. Some want access and benefits agreements and they're focused on that. Some want ownership in resource development, infrastructure like the pipeline. Some want advancement and use it as leverage on land claims and self-government. Someone needs to show the leadership to bring all of the interests together and with that unified voice stand our ground with the federal government and with industry. If it's not the territorial government's role to bring that voice together, then I respectfully ask whose job is it, and I seriously put that out there, Mr. Speaker.

I know one thing. While we're deciding who speaks for the North, no one speaks for the North, and we, by default, will concede our agenda to the federal government. It's time to show that we understand what's at stake for all of us and future generations of northerners. Time is of the essence. It's not going to get any easier as time goes on. Would someone please stand up and declare it to be their first priority and their full-time job, if necessary, to speak for the North with our best interests at heart? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member's statement will focus on the need to rise up as a nation of northern people and to ask ourselves a serious question: Are we going to die or are we going to wither away or are we going to survive as a nation, one North, one nation, in the face of the federal government by reaping our resources right under our land?

Mr. Speaker, I read a book titled "The Genius of Sitting Bull." Sitting Bull used his leadership tactics to save his nation, his movement, his ways to get a goal done. Mr. Speaker, this tactic has been used today in multi-national corporations to save their businesses. Now, Mr. Speaker,

why not consider using Sitting Bull's tactics with the devolution and resource revenue sharing? For example, Mr. Speaker, we need a North who has leaders with a vision of the North to what the North can be. Gather the leaders. We've been told that the North will see all these benefits. We've been hearing for many, many years a North that can put together a plan of all leaders to believe in the idea that the North can survive on its own. We can make a made-in-the-north agreement.

We have talent and skilled people to provide us with the numbers, provide us with formulas to look at post-resource revenue sharing management agreements, post-devolution agreements. We have these people in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've been told by the experts in our briefings, and Mr. Braden has mentioned about the potential losses for the North, of royalties, revenues, and the fact that we are a territory, not a constitutionally protected entity to fit in with the partners of Confederation.

It's high time that this government, along with other aboriginal governments who hold a vast amount of land in the Northwest Territories, get together with the businesspeople, put a management plan together to go down to Ottawa and demand that these resources stay in the Northwest Territories where we can support our people in the Northwest Territories once and for all. Let's get the job done, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of resource revenue sharing agreements has been emphasized by our government as an important first step towards the development of the Mackenzie gas project. Since this approach does not seem to have the full support of the First Nations groups along the proposed route, some of whom are negotiating their own resource revenue sharing agreements with the producers and the federal government, I feel that it is imperative that this government take a more supportive approach to addressing this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, the Aboriginal Summit was first assembled by this government to get First Nations input and cooperation into a resource revenue sharing arrangement, but now it seems that the goal of reaching such an agreement that we can all live with is getting further and further out of the reach of this government every day.

Mr. Speaker, in order to get the full support and commitment of our First Nations groups toward a resource revenue sharing agreement, this government has to come to terms with the reality of the day and recognize that aboriginal governments can and should be the primary beneficiaries of such an agreement.

The aboriginal governments will be the next public governments and we have to support their positions on resource revenue sharing arrangements; arrangements that will see the social gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginals become non-existent and allow the aboriginal governments to become the agents of many of the programs and services that we deliver and some of which this government struggles to maintain and operate in a manner that addresses the social gap. The acknowledgement and support towards aboriginal governments as the primary beneficiaries will not only bring aboriginal governments back to the negotiating table, but also will send a clear message to Ottawa that we can work together, we are willing to negotiate together, and we can stand united until we get what is rightfully ours, that being our fair share of resource royalties going out of our territory every day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, as well, would like to speak on the issue of resource sharing and the long quest that we have had as a territory. On this file, Mr. Speaker, I consider the Conservative government to be as bad and as slow as the former Liberal government in terms of delivering. Prior to the last federal election there were promises made, commitments made in writing to the people of the Northwest Territories. To date they have not been delivered on. There were commitments made to other jurisdictions, like Newfoundland, where Prime Minister Harper recently went to visit, and the Conservative government down there took great exception and umbrage to the lack of action on their commitments that were made to them.

Mr. Speaker, we're in the same circumstance. Yes, it is good for us to be united and coordinated and have one voice. It's critical. But the ones with the levers year after year, the Conservative government, the Liberal government, is the federal government, and they have been very slow. There is no rush for them to solve this issue, to resolve it, to commit to any closure. They are awash in a surplus, it says in the Globe today. A big chunk of that is our cash. They are in no hurry.

My message to the people of the Northwest Territories is very simple. There's going to be an election coming soon. When that election comes and if the Conservative government has not delivered on these commitments, it's as simple as ABC -- Anybody But a Conservative -- when you vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is an important topic we're talking about, resource revenue and devolution. Since the 15th Assembly started we talked about this government trying to get a fair deal for the

Northwest Territories for resource revenue. Apparently, like Mr. Ramsay said earlier, we're into year three now and we still haven't gotten close to a deal.

The Premier on occasion has travelled to Ottawa and spoken with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Indian Affairs, Jim Prentice, on issues such as this. Most of the time we hear on the radio that oh, the meeting went well. How well is well if you haven't heard exactly what's being discussed on this side?

Mr. Speaker, I have my background in terms of we're going to get a deal during this Assembly. I don't think we will. I'm not as confident as some of my colleagues here. I'm not as confident as the Premier. But we still have to sit down and make sure that our Premier will actually get down to Ottawa and, again like some of my colleagues said, with the aboriginal leaders. Sit down and negotiate a fair resource revenue deal. That has to take place first with the aboriginal people, and then take it to Ottawa. We can't go on and say okay, look, something will come up before this term is over, but I encourage the leader, Mr. Premier, to go out there and get something done for us, for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this morning the headline in Globe and Mail reads, "Ottawa Awash in Surplus Cash" and I have to tell you I felt sick to my stomach when I started thinking about how much worse our friends in the NGO community must feel having to live through the latest cuts and having to tell their clients that their services will be less or none, even though the federal government is awash in cash.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, it started getting worse when I started thinking about the topic of discussion today, especially when I started imagining the time down the road when the Mackenzie gas pipeline is built and the much needed gas flows ever so silently downward to meet the unquenchable thirst of the U.S. market for energy. Not only that, we will see that the Mackenzie gas pipeline artery has made it possible for the entire NWT territory to be covered with the exploration and exploitation dots on the ground, like the coloured map I saw from one of the environmental conferences I attended. The degree of work that makes the MGP look like child's play. What if I saw the headline in the business section of the Globe and Mail that read, "The Imperial and Consortium Makes $17 Billion in Profit"? Would I be able to, Mr. Speaker, cheer for them and say good on them because they should be able to get the return on their investment, just like the people of the NWT are benefiting from the extraction of these non-renewable resources that made it possible from a real, fair and just great deal with the federal government, with the efforts and leadership of the 15th Assembly? Or would I have to be overcome with the overwhelming desire to pull a blanket over my head and maybe hide in the closet wishing what should I have done or what could I have done to make that deal possible?

So I think it's very appropriate, Mr. Speaker, that we talk about this issue and that time is running out and that it is time for all of us to act, because in the end I believe that will be the defining issue for us all to be judged on. This file has been going on for at least 20 years and I think the deadline is this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, wish to continue the theme. Mr. Speaker, I ask myself, where are we? Well, I start out by asking that question by reading a quote by Mr. Handley: "We're close." Now that quote could have been said yesterday. That quote could have been said last week, last month, maybe even two years ago, Mr. Speaker. Because I have heard that the Premier's office says we're close. But I can tell you today, if this Premier is able to deliver on a resource revenue agreement I'll be the first one to put a motion on the floor that we do a Wayne Gretzky statue like in the Rexall with Premier Handley holding a bag of money in front of this building because we need this deal. The problem is that we've been close.

So I ask myself again, where are we? Well, Mr. Speaker, the people of the NWT need the same rights that exist in any other province in Canada and it's about time that the Government of Canada recognizes this, Mr. Speaker. Our Legislature, our government, its people deserve the full control over our resources. We need full control of our destiny, Mr. Speaker, and I think it's only a fair and moral right that we should have. Why does Canada want to keep us in the dark ages? Well, I've come to learn in my three years here, and the rhetoric I've always heard before this is it's possibly the jealousy, maybe it's protectionism, maybe it's fear, maybe it's arrogance, maybe they're just so used to historical control of the Northwest Territories they don't know how to give it up. Some could say the NWT is the golden goose that lays the golden eggs. I don't know. Maybe they don't want to give it up because we've got such wealth in our territory.

Mr. Speaker, many people know that there hasn't been significant, notable ground since Nellie was Economic Minister back in the '80s. Now we know many things have been done and I'll give credit to the Premier's office that they've been working very hard, but there never is a deal. We don't have that deal that we're finally saying thank you. We all know Canada wants us to take the Yukon deal, but I want the Newfoundland deal, I want the Nova Scotia deal on control of our resources, Mr. Speaker.

I think it's only fair and only right. Mr. Speaker, at this time may I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement; without a nay?

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Members.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, what I'm saying is we need significant movement on this issue. Our citizens have been waiting for it in a timely way. I think the adolescence of the Northwest Territories has grown and we've matured and it's gone. It's time for Canada to recognize that we have come of age and we deserve the respect, Mr. Speaker. Respect is a two-way street. We offer Ottawa respect every single day. Regardless whether it's a Conservative government or Liberal government, we give it to them, and it's time that they recognize we deserve it.

So, Mr. Speaker, in closing I won't be suggesting we pull the Danny Williams move, but we need to morally get our message across and say wait a minute. We're in charge and we finally need to be shown respect from Ottawa. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, I'd like to draw your attention to the gallery. We have with us today a Member from the House of Assembly from Newfoundland and Labrador, Kathy Goudie is here. She represents the riding of Humber Valley and lives in Deer Lake, Newfoundland. Kathy.

---Applause

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to also recognize a hard-working nurse that we have with us. My constituent Ms. Susan MacInnis is with us today.

---Applause

Also, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize councillor-elect Ms. Lydia Bardak who is with us today as well.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize some visitors to the gallery who are with the Yellowknife Inuit Association; Katujjiqatigiit, Mr. Speaker. How did I do?

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, with us today are Iga Atagootak who is the president, Deborah Tagornak who is the executive director...

---Applause

...Flossie Oakoak and Ada McGillivary, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife, or Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Whoa. Freudian slip. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to recognize the folks from the Yellowknife Inuit Association and also recognize Kathy Goudie. I just met her in Hull, Quebec, when we were at a women's parliamentarian meeting and I'm pleased to announce that the first meeting of the parliamentarian women will be here in the Northwest Territories as an outreach to encourage more women to get into politics and leadership.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to welcome everybody in the gallery, especially recognize Ms. Arlene Hache, our hardest working advocate for women's issues.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a student from St. Pat's, my best friend and my son, Jay Lafferty.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to also recognize the honourable Member from Newfoundland/Labrador for visiting us. Also the hard-working nurse who also takes care of the Sahtu patients at the Stanton hospital, Susan MacInnis. I also recognize that today is the birthplace of ice hockey in Deline.

---Laughter

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take the opportunity to recognize a youth that preformed at the Dreamcatchers Conference; a youth from Yellowknife who is an upcoming star, in my view, in her music and her positive message: Kiera-Dawn Kolson.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anybody in the gallery today, welcome to the House. Always nice to have an audience. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Premier, Joe Handley. You have heard the Members' statements on this side of the House. I should say, Mr. Speaker, the Premier has heard the Members' statements on this side of the House today and I think that it would be hard to argue that time is of the essence when it comes to getting a fair deal on resource revenue sharing with Ottawa. I would like to ask the Premier what he can tell us that would indicate to us that he agrees that this has to be the highest priority of this government at this time? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me say I appreciate the statements by all of the Members on this most important topic and I appreciate the concern you express and I express the same kind of concern. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that I have spent more time on this issue with the federal government and with aboriginal leaders than any other issue. I feel it is the most important issue we, as a government, have to deal with. Now, I can't give assurance we'll achieve a deal. I don't know. But, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to do everything in my power to get us there if I can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Premier if, even though we are in this open public forum today, he could share with Members on this side of the House what would be a short list of the possible obstructions or obstacles to getting this deal done? What can we do collectively as northerners to advance this agenda? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me say that, first of all, there are a lot of good, strong statements made today about needing to work together as northerners. That's one. I can tell you that at my informational meeting with National Chief Bill Erasmus this week that that was the same discussion of the Dene Nation meeting in Fort Good Hope earlier. So working together is absolutely important. Aboriginal leaders have to work together and we have to work together with aboriginal leaders as northern leaders. So that's number one.

Mr. Speaker, a second one is we have to agree on an agenda of how we're going to move forward from where we are now, from the commitments that the Prime Minister has made, commitments Minister Prentice has made, the appeals we have made to them including letters this week to move this forward.

Basically I would say in answer to the question, partnerships working together as northerners, how do we get northern leaders working together with us? Second is how do we get the federal government's attention? That goes from the Prime Minister to the Minister of DIAND would be my two top things that I believe we need to work on. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for those answers. What is the next thing on the Premier's agenda with respect to this file? What's up and coming and what do we have in our ability, within our ability...I want to say arsenal of tactics of things we can do. We've heard everything from taking down the flag of Canada to putting up a bronze statue. No, that one we don't take seriously.

---Laughter

But we're desperate. Desperate times call for desperate measures. What is the next thing on the Premier's agenda and what do we reasonably have in our control to advance this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I think the first essential piece we need is for all northern leaders to work together on this and recognize this as being the most important topic we can deal with. Mr. Speaker, there is a meeting of the Aboriginal Summit leaders on November 9th and that is a critical meeting. Following that I intend to, I hope the leaders are able to come to agreement on what their agenda is, who the membership is, and so on. Then I intend to meet with them and I've made that known to the leaders already.

Second, Mr. Speaker, with aboriginal leaders it's not all the aboriginal leaders who see devolution and resource revenue sharing as the top of the agenda. Some of them see settlement of their negotiation processes as being an essential ingredient that they have to resolve first. Mr. Speaker, we have to find a way of being able to work with all leaders, including those who don't see this issue as being the top of their agenda. They've got other things that are more important to them and I respect their wishes.

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the federal government, it's true, as someone mentioned, there's only 43,000 of us. We only have one seat in the federal Parliament, so we

have limited authority. The federal government has all the authority on permits and land use and so on, except for bits of Commissioner's land. So we don't have that legal lever. Mr. Speaker, what we do has to be persuasion, it has to be in some cases assuming some space that is unoccupied. By this I mean taking things like on the financial side. We have to look, and the Minister of Finance has to look, very carefully at what areas could we occupy on taxation, for example. I don't know what those are, but we need to look at what things can we do that are going to cause the federal government to pay attention to our needs.

The other one, Mr. Speaker, is we face a huge bureaucracy in Ottawa and I have to say quite frankly that in my view a lot of the bureaucrats working in Ottawa feel threatened by devolution and resource revenue sharing. Somehow this is going to challenge their right to a job. In that way they continue this colonial legacy that's been going on for so many years. We have to get through to that bureaucracy.

So, Mr. Speaker, as I speak I know the Secretary to Cabinet is writing to Mr. Sulzenko who is the lead for Mr. Prentice on the pipeline file. He is also writing to Harvie Andre who is the lead on devolution file; being very clear with them of what our agenda is. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the Premier says there are groups or areas or regions in the Northwest Territories that do not see this as a priority, my next question to the Premier would be then what can he do as the Premier to convene a dialogue or something that will create the awareness? I mean development is proceeding here. The incentive for Ottawa to deal with this is going to get less rather than more as the increased amount of revenue flowing to Ottawa proceeds. So can the Premier give us a commitment that he will convene a forum where a dialogue to create awareness amongst leaders about the significance of this? Draw a picture, draw a map, explain what's at stake. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I couldn't make it to the Dene Assembly meeting in Fort Good Hope last week, but I did meet with the national chief, as I mentioned. I want to build on the mood of partnership and working together that was started at that meeting. As I said, there is a meeting of the Aboriginal Summit leaders on the 9th. Following that I am going to invite, in fact before that happens I will invite all of the leaders to a meeting of the kind that Members referred to here. Just leaders. We don't need a lot of staff, just ourselves as elected leaders. Mr. Speaker, I hope to do that in November, but it depends on the leaders' agendas. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Oral Questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I was referring to in my Member's statement today, the people of the NWT contribute to Canada. This is an amazing country and we do our share, Mr. Speaker. But respect is a two-way street. So as I pointed out in my little press story that could have been anywhere between yesterday and two years ago, Premier Handley says that we are close. Where are we on this deal? Where are we? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I have said we're close, we're moving in the right direction on several occasions. Mr. Speaker, during the past three years of our government's life we've had to go through two federal elections, a number of band elections and so on. But the federal elections in particular tend to throw us off schedule. So we've had two of them and we may in fact have a third one before our government has completed its agenda. So those certainly slow us down.

Mr. Speaker, I think we're closer.

---Laughter

I can tell you right now that the Prime Minister, this Prime Minister, has committed that northerners will be the primary beneficiaries. That is an agreement we never got out of any government before, any federal government, and we finally got that, and I take the Prime Minister at his word on it.

Mr. Speaker, the second thing is that the federal government has recently appointed a new federal negotiator. I take that as a sign that they want to get on with negotiations. Mr. Speaker, as I said, the Secretary to Cabinet is writing to that individual saying we want an agreement-in-principle by the end of this fiscal year and we'll lay out what our plan is to achieve that.

Mr. Speaker, those are steps that we can take to try and move us along. I can't guarantee it as I'm only one out of three parties that have to negotiate this. I'm saying that's the aboriginal, our government and the federal government. But I can tell you, I'm doing everything in my power to be able to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This summer I was here when the Prime Minister had mentioned no pipeline, no deal; and he was referring to resource and self-government, devolution deals. Mr. Speaker, I want to hear the Premier of our Northwest Territories say no deal,

no pipeline, because the pipeline has got the attention of the country, the federal government wants it. I'm not opposed to the pipeline by any means, but people want this, the federal government wants this, I want to hear how the Premier is taking offence to this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not going to tie a devolution and resource revenue sharing agreement specifically to the pipeline. But what I am going to tie it to is resource development generally. I don't think the people up and down the Mackenzie Valley should pay the price. We should all, as northerners, be willing to make that sacrifice if it's necessary in order to get a better deal and it doesn't matter whether it's mining in this area or pipeline or whatever, but let's make it fair to everybody across the Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to reaffirm. I didn't say that in the context that I'm against the pipeline or in the context that I'm against resource development, because I have significant environmental concerns as well as economic concerns. Until we get that control, we can't control either of them. We're in a difficult situation.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier had spoken about partnerships. I'd like to hear from him today about what is he doing with our local Dene Nation of the Northwest Territories or aboriginal groups to reach outside of the Territories and say, well, wait a minute, let's contact the AFN. They're a huge lobby group and they would morally help us fight for our rights. What about talking to guys like Buzz Hargrove? They have a huge membership and that would deliver a massive statement. What are we doing about delivering a message in the Globe and Mail, a full page to say the NWT has come of age, give us our rights back, or give us our rights to start with, Mr. Speaker.

So what is the Premier doing to advocate that and build those partnerships? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said earlier, I've spent more time and energy on this issue than any other one. In terms of getting us out there on the national stage, we have done everything we can and I can tell you we've had more coverage in this government in national media than any other government. Mr. Speaker, that's been important. We've done that along with aboriginal leaders. I have worked very closely with the aboriginal national leaders. I was the first Premier to bring the national aboriginal leaders into the Premiers' meetings when we met in Inuvik, and that's continued on and they continue to be strong supporters.

Mr. Speaker, with the other Premiers we have a very clear message and very clear support from Premiers across the country. We participated in the fiscal imbalance reviews and the fiscal imbalance reports and we've got strong support from the Premiers. Mr. Speaker, we have strong support from the Prime Minister. Mr. Speaker, what we need is to get more action going on the statements that have been made and we have a short window before the next election. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that was all well and good and I take it for what it was because it was good. But, Mr. Speaker, I did not hear about building the coalitions and the partnerships, Mr. Speaker. The real ones out there, like building it with the AFN. I heard a great statement by Premier Danny Williams about supporting the Northwest Territories' right to exert our own control. Mr. Speaker, what is the Premier doing with the provinces in getting them to put forward motions in their Legislatures about it's time that we get control over our own lands? So, Mr. Speaker, would the Premier take that extra step and start building individual coalitions with individual provinces who also have the right to slow this process down? Let's get them on board. What will the Premier do?

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, we already have unanimous support from all the Premiers around the table. Every one of them without exception has given me that support. I have not asked them to take and make motions in their Legislative Assembly. I've not gone that step, but, Mr. Speaker, I don't know if they'd feel comfortable doing things about another jurisdiction within their jurisdiction. We certainly have statements of support from those who have come here, and many of them have. We will continue to do that.

Mr. Speaker, I want to build those coalitions with them. I want to build it with the aboriginal leaders. I want to continue to build it with the business community. We have been working closely with the Business Coalition as well. We will continue with those and I want to do it with your support as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are addressed to the Minister of

Municipal and Community Affairs and they're in relation to the issue of proxy votes as they pertain to municipal elections. Mr. Speaker, my concern goes back to the 13th Assembly with the territorial government. When I first ran, there were very loose rules for proxy votes. There was a major court case in the Thebacha riding revolving around proxy votes. Legislation was changed; they were limited, but not eliminated. In the 14th Assembly, further changes were made where proxy votes were eliminated. Other options were put in place: mobile polls, special ballots, extended advance polls. I've noticed over the last few municipal elections that you can still, in a municipal election, get pieces of paper, proxy forms, and a person can just go up and down the street and collect votes.

Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is, is there any consideration being given to bring the municipal voting regulations as it pertains to proxy votes in line with the standards that are there for the territorial election? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Local Authorities Elections Act provides for the use of the proxy votes. A number of issues have been brought forward over the last while regarding the Elections Act. We have looked at laying out a process to do a review and we are, right now, in the midst of putting together a discussion paper and we're expecting that to come out at the end of this calendar year or very early in the new year, and I would expect this would be one of the issues that would be covered. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that information. Could the Minister indicate the steps once this document is in? Are they anticipating that any changes would require legislative changes? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The time frame around this whole issue regarding some of the issues that have been brought forward under the Elections Act, these concerns are being researched. The time frame we're looking at, as I stated earlier, more than likely early in the new year. We don't anticipate that we'd be in a position to change legislation in the life of this government, but it would be something that we would expect would take place in the new government of the 16th Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My final supplementary to the Minister would be, as we look at the transition from the 15th Assembly to the 16th and the work that's being done to ensure that there's continuity, would the Minister commit to ensuring that in the work that's there, that's put on the rails, that the target date is prior to the next set of municipal elections territorial-wide three years from now? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure if I'm in a position to commit to something of that nature. There are a number of municipalities that have elections coming up on a staggered basis. So I will commit that this is an issue that's been brought forward by a number of municipalities and also the NWT Association of Communities has this on their radar and it's something we are in a position where we're doing the research. We will lay out a number of the different issues, a number of the concerns that are out there, have discussion with the stakeholders. We will try to fast-track this as much as we can; however, I cannot make the commitment that this will be something that will be in place before the next election that the Member is referring to. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are going to be on the review of the situation at the Stanton Hospital. But seeing as that involves both Health and Social Services and Human Resources and we don't have a permanent Health and Social Services Minister yet, I will direct my question to the Minister of Human Resources. I'm wondering, Mr. Speaker, given that whatever comes out of this review, I'd like to ask the Minister as the Human Resources Minister whether or not the government will be able to meet the deadline that was set by the former Minister of Health to finish that review, at least the preliminary results anyway, by the end of next week? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for Human Resources, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've been working with both departments looking at the previous work that was done and fine tuning the previous human resource survey that was done in that facility and updating it and be prepared to bring it to Members to have a look at that and then set up a procedure for moving forward. So I believe we can meet the commitment that was made by the previous Minister. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think I'm prepared to accept being compassionate and considerate that the government may not be able to meet this two-week deadline, but I would be happy to just have the government follow up on the commitment made by the previous Minister that there will be a review of what is happening, all the array of staff issues and morale issues at Stanton Hospital, and that it will involve a direct communication of the CEO and the deputy minister, if necessary, with the front-line workers division by division. That was a big commitment. That's more important to me than meeting the strict deadline that was committed to. So would the Minister of Human Resources commit to meeting that requirement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to the involvement that Human Resources would be involved, we will be supportive in the initiative that commitment was made in this Assembly not too long ago. From the Department of Health and Social Services' side of the equation, we are looking at the process that was discussed and the plan was put there. A lot of initiatives are underway and we want to meet the commitment that was made here in this Assembly and we'll work towards that end. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That answer was so general it's really hard to tell whether he is saying that he'll go with state of the status quo, the way it is now with the existing guidelines, or whether or not government is confirming its commitment made by the previous Health Minister that it will really take a look and be proactive to figure out what is going on at the hospital and what government has to do to fix it. So will the Minister commit that very specifically to the Stanton issue, not just human resource issues in government in general as he's stating? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, from the Human Resources' side we are working with the Department of Health and Social Services to meet the commitment that was made by the previous Minister. From the Department of Health and Social Services side, reviewing the work that's been done, where things sit is only part of the equation again and meeting the commitment that was made by the previous Minister and our goal is to do just that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last follow-up. As I've stated and other Members have stated, I do believe that there is no question that the biggest area of concern with what's happening at Stanton is the recruitment and retention issue and management and morale issue, for whatever reason. I'm not assigning blame, but I think that's the thing. That needs an involvement and leadership on the part of the Minister of Human Resources. So could I get the Minister to make a personal commitment, as Minister of Human Resources, that he'll see to it that a solution is found and then acted upon? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, from the Human Resources' side I think we can show a positive track record in trying to deal with the issue of nurse recruitment, of nursing program in the Northwest Territories, as well as at Stanton. When it falls into the whole territorial aspect of how we deliver services from the Human Resources' side, we can show many examples of what we're trying to do government-wide in trying to deal with this specific issue. On the side of dealing with the Stanton issue, we will work with the Department of Health and Social Services to ensure that the review is an adequate one. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) Mr. Speaker, I'd like to question on my Member's statement regarding revenue sharing. (Translation ends)

...stress to finalizing this important deal that we're faced with, resource revenue sharing. It is essential we unite as one voice in the North.

Mr. Speaker, my first question was already asked by my colleague Mr. Hawkins. I will just continue with my next question. Mr. Speaker, to date, over the past 20 years how much have we spent approximately to date, just a rough figure on these negotiations with the federal government? I think the public needs to be aware of how much we've spent to date. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't have a calculation and I'll have to take that as notice and provide the Member with a written response on that. Sorry. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to direct some questions to the Premier as our point man, our lead on devolution and resource revenue negotiations. Mr. Speaker, a little bit earlier today the Premier said we have to find a way to work together with aboriginal leaders. I think that was the context and the whole theme. One of the big themes today is northern unity.

You know, Mr. Speaker, as a number of my colleagues have already said, we've been trying to do that. This has been our goal for 20 years, yet we still keep saying the same thing. We have to find a way to work together. So we're struggling to find that one common agenda. We know we have dozens of areas, Mr. Speaker, where we're different, we're apart, we're separate. We don't have to be one big mixing bowl on this, but how can we find the one common agenda that will bring us together?

Mr. Speaker, my question is, what can we do in this Assembly to help the Premier, to enable the Premier to take that case to the aboriginal leaders in the Northwest Territories and achieve that core unity that we need to move our agenda ahead, Mr. Speaker?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the main thing we do is what we say right here in this House, because people are listening to what we're saying. I think the Members' statements today sent a strong message that we are ready and willing to sit down and work with aboriginal leaders.

Mr. Speaker, having said that, we also need to think through how do we do this in a way that those who have settled claims are able to realize the benefits and begin to implement the benefits out of their claim and do that in a way that isn't somehow going to forfeit or compromise the rights and benefits of those who have not yet settled a claim? I don't know the easy answer to that one, but there has to be an answer and there has to be a way of doing it, whether it's following what Yukon did and putting monies in trust or whatever it may be, but there's got to be a way of doing that.

But, Mr. Speaker, the reality in the Territories is that we have some regions with settled claims and some without settled claims, and there are clearly different priorities of what's the most important thing to focus on. And limited capacity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.