In order for the government to
most effectively advance its interests, it would be
important for us to maintain continuity in terms of the legal representation and also to continue to engage the external legal counsel that has represented our government at NEB proceedings since the applications were filed in October 2004.
In the interim, and pending receipt of the joint review panel report and recommendations, there are ongoing preparation requirements to ensure that the Government of the Northwest Territories is ready to respond when the joint review panel report is issued.
In addition, as I mentioned earlier, there are interim matters to which parties are required to respond from time to time. I guess the best example is that we need expertise so we can stay on top of the Alaska pipeline progress as well.