Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm a believer that the citizens of the Northwest Territories should be finally taking control of their own destiny, Mr. Speaker, and that doesn't necessarily mean the revenues from petroleum or minerals, Mr. Speaker, it's about setting a course, a northern course, that we will guide ourselves by our own principles in relationship with the aboriginal governments, Mr. Speaker. I've been a supporter of that, I always have and I always believe that the Northwest Territories government will play a leadership role in that. As a council is, we build a giant council for our whole territory, Mr. Speaker.

But that council can only exist with fair controls given back to us that I think are rightfully ours, Mr. Speaker. It's time that we get control of our own destiny. Even things like land and water boards, Mr. Speaker, they report to the DIAND Minister. I mean it's our land and our water boards

that are talking to the Minister of DIAND, Minister Prentice. That doesn't seem fair, Mr. Speaker.

We've talked many times about not having a veto card or anything on any of this development or any process, but, Mr. Speaker, it seems humiliating the one person that should qualify for a veto card is the Northwest Territories. I'm not saying that lightly that we should have it, I'm saying it's something that we should be able to say. If this development or any development is working either environmentally or in a fiscal sense that benefits the Northwest Territories people, we should be able to stop it immediately and say wait a minute, we need to wake up. But that control, as we all know, lies in Ottawa. As I said even in my Member's statement, that it is ridiculous for whatever reason it is, they don't want to give up that control. If they've just had it so long, they're so used to having their own finger on the button of control, that they're not comfortable letting it go. I don't know.

A few weeks ago I was watching Minister Prentice on television and he was talking about the aboriginal claims and things he has to deal with, and he talked about them as files. Well, Mr. Speaker, I think the Northwest Territories is a little bigger than just a file. I think of it as true people wanting to follow its destiny and it needs the opportunity to do this. So when I talk about taking control of these things such as a land and water board, I don't mean in a sense of we have to be hard on people. I think it's about environmental stewardship. I think it's about economic balance that sets the course again and again about a northern course and about a northern destiny.

This motion says that we have self-respect, Mr. Speaker, and I don't think it says really anything other than that. It's time that Ottawa starts showing some respect back to this Legislature, because we are rightfully in control, we are a responsible government. You know, this creature clause given by DIAND or whoever it is, the bottom line is it is a ridiculous state that does not exist anymore.

The Legislature, a few years ago in the old Assembly, had given unfettered support to the pipeline. You know what? At the day that might have been the right decision, to ensure that industry knew what they were dealing with. I don't blame ministry wanting to have certainty when they want to spend millions of dollars in a region, Mr. Speaker. I certainly welcome that. But, Mr. Speaker, my concern is when this Legislature, the 14th Assembly, had given unfettered attention and respect and said yes, go right ahead, we're in support of the pipeline, all of a sudden our phone stopped ringing with the concerns and respect what can we do for you, how can we make this happen. I say this half jokingly, but I'm sure the Prime Minister doesn't care right now because he sees the territorial government on auto pilot. Well, I've got what I wanted. We know that they're in favour of the pipeline. We know they're in favour of resource development, and, by the way, we control the land and the water boards anyway, so they're on auto pilot so we don't care.

Mr. Speaker, I'm not saying that the territorial government should take stance about saying no more resource development, Mr. Speaker, but we have to find a fair way to have discussion that brings united groups together, such as the aboriginal governments, the territorial government, again to sing in a strong and united voice to say look, Ottawa, we need your attention.

Now, let's get to the next subject when we talk about our Premier being a nice guy in Ottawa. Well, Mr. Speaker, I like the Premier and he is a nice guy.