Mr. Speaker, the initial contact was by phone with me and a number of the leaders. I left a message for others I could not get hold of. We follow up with a letter just as we are sending our package out. We’ve got some correspondence, as well, at the regional table we set up; we’ve been discussing the file ongoing.
I know, for example, the Akaitcho group are saying they’ve got their own process. They do not want to be involved in this, in fact, and wish us to not have any further discussions on devolution and resource revenue sharing. The Sahtu is undergoing some of their own work and looking at the numbers we provided. I believe their work confirmed, in fact, what our numbers were stating.
We have other groups that are prepared to move on it; for example, the Gwich’in, the Inuvialuit. The Sahtu have taken a step back from their original position. The Northwest Territories Métis have also been supportive of this initiative. The Deh Cho is a group that is again saying they are involved in their own process. They want to complete that and feel they need to do that before they can support any initiative of the GNWT.
The problem is that if the Government of the Northwest Territories is dealing with all levels of programs and services in all the regions — whether it is health care, education or economic development — without additional resources, we’re going to leave self-government as they take over operations. When they do finally settle their claims, they’re going to take over operations that are burdened with a heavy load, and that’s the problem of continuing to wait.