Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, we're on schedule with the Sahtu land claim implementation. In fact, with all of them we're on schedule and as the Member may have noted we are now giving Members a copy of the implementation progress reports as well.
Debates of March 7th, 2007
This is page numbers 1271 - 1335 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.
Topics
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

The Chair Calvin Pokiak
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Thank you. We're on page 2-104, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, information item, work done on behalf of others, $485,000.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

The Chair Calvin Pokiak
Page 2-105, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, information item, lease commitments - infrastructure.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

The Chair Calvin Pokiak
Can we now turn to page 2-93, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, program summary, operations expenditure summary, $7.450 million. Mr. Yakeleya.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu
Mr. Chair, just a clarification on the item on compensation benefits, I see the increase. Could I ask the Premier to explain the jump in this increase on the compensation and benefits?
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

Joe Handley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is $222,000 collective bargaining increases listed as forced growth. Thank you.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu
Just a little more clarification in terms of the forced growth collective bargaining agreement that we have. So again, just a clarification. I just want to know this. Thank you.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, that's correct; we have a collective bargaining agreement for our employees with the Union of Northern Workers and through that we have to give employees regular increases as provided for in that agreement. Thank you.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess I don't want to get too far into some types of discussion or in types of strategy in terms of tactics and negotiations. Is this type of discussion here being talked about when we talk about self-government negotiations into agreements with the regions and the communities? I don't know if I'm off the question here, Mr. Chair, so I might just withdraw that question here.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

Bill Braden Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the area of grants and contributions listed on the summary here at $1.33 million, Mr. Chairman, I notice that there's been a shift in the allocation from contributions, which those various pots started out in the current year. They are now shown for the coming year as grants and I'm wondering if the Premier or the Minister could offer an explanation of why the shift. What is the difference in terms of our policy or our accounting for the change from a contribution to a grant structure, Mr. Chair?
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, we made the shift of contributions to grants to see if everybody read this.
---Laughter
No, I'm just joking, Mr. Chairman. We made the shift because we feel if we're going to have respectful government-to-government relations, that we should treat aboriginal governments the same way we're treated in federal/provincial relations or anything else. The difference between a contribution and a grant is in a grant it's up to the body receiving the grant to be accountable, they have to be accountable. With a contribution they would have to provide us with a very detailed audited statement of where they spent everything. So, Mr. Chairman, this is just showing more respect for aboriginal governments and organizations. Thank you.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319

Bill Braden Great Slave
Okay, I can connect the dots on that. I guess though there would still be some accountability, if you will, or accounting for what is our criteria, if you will, or expectation for what will be achieved for contributing $1.3 million from the taxpayers' purse to our aboriginal partner governments, Mr. Chair?
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1319
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1320

Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, with a grant it's terms are set by a payment directive that they have to enter into saying where the money is going to be spent and how it will be spent, but when it comes to details like how much they might have spent on salary versus travel, then they have more flexibility to do those kind of things than they would with a contribution where they might have to return the money to us if they didn't spend it exactly on what they said. So this just gives them more flexibility to do their job in the way that they feel it can best be done. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1320
Committee Motion 48-15(5) Establishment Of A Boards And Agencies Review Unit, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1320

Bill Braden Great Slave
Okay, and their job is...I'll ask the Premier to define that job then. Thank you.