Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We passed a very important motion in this Assembly last October, Mr. Speaker. It directed the Premier, as the key member of our Assembly, to bring back an agreement-in-principle to this Assembly and to the people of Northwest Territories on devolution and resource revenue sharing between Canada and the aboriginal governments of the NWT. Mr. Speaker, we were motivated by a sense of urgency because as the diamond mines continue to reap their rich harvest and the Norman Wells oilfield pumps its mammoth field, we are seeing roughly $750,000 a day leave the NWT and flow directly to Ottawa. With more mines built and the potential Mackenzie Valley pipeline coming on stream, that could mean some $3.5 million a day, Mr. Speaker.
Since our motion of just four months ago, there has been a considerable shift in the political landscape here in the NWT because with the regrettable collapse of the
Aboriginal Summit in December, the players have changed and so too have my expectations of achieving this agreement-in-principle, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the difficulties of maintaining consensus among organizations. Goodness knows, we have our issues and our difficulties here in this Assembly, Mr. Speaker, so I do not want my concern to be taken as a criticism of the aboriginal governments, but a recognition that without their voices the collective will of the NWT can't be fully heard at the negotiating table.
Mr. Speaker, earlier in my statement I spoke of urgency. We also face uncertainty as yet another federal election is possible at any time. We know that our own election is due here in the fall. Each change of leadership, of course, adds yet more time to this already urgent timetable.
Mr. Speaker, these issues must remain at the very top of our legislative priority list. It is time that we turn our vision into reality. The question remains still, how do we do this? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause