Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The

Premier explained how he has involved himself in closed door discussions on our future constitutional development with an exclusive gathering of people mysteriously funded. I’d like to offer my view towards involving all the people of the NWT in an open, inclusive, public, and transparent process to develop new and effective governance for all the people of the NWT. First, the process has to be carried out not at a remote wilderness retreat, but across the NWT in a way that values public participation. There should be special efforts to involve the diverse peoples of the NWT with the involvement of youth and elders. I don’t think there were any representatives of aboriginal governments at the table at Blachford Lake. It is essential that the effort be based upon recognition of the special status and rights of aboriginal peoples of the NWT. I believe the people who gathered at Blachford Lake were almost entirely men; just as too many of our forums are. Our democratic process must consider and recognize the value of gender balance

and how the promotion of equal participation by women and men can be promoted in our future government structures. The vision of a politically, socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable future must guide our formation of new government. The NWT is still a largely natural area where its residents have an unparalleled opportunity to develop and implement ecologically sustainable communities with the opportunity for every citizen to strive for their full potential. We must focus on identifying a path that we can follow together, recognizing and accommodating our individual and cultural uniqueness, but subscribing to a group effort toward common goals. Finally, new discussions to further our political maturity must recognize and draw on the previous work done by the Western Constitutional Forum, the Bourque Commission, and similar bodies. A lot of time, money, and good faith of people who participated in previous processes have already gone into this work. Let’s begin by recognizing the value and teachings in this work and use this as a basis to bring our people together for fruitful discussions. Echoing Minister McLeod: Let’s get Northerners working together.