Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The people of the Northwest Territories, from my stories from the elders, have traditionally been self-reliant and have governed themselves for thousands of years. More recent arrivals in the Territories have been fiercely independent also. All of us believe that our government should be of the people and who can work out things together. Our system of government has grown, Mr. Speaker, and it has taken on more authority over the last 50 years. Aboriginal peoples have settled land claims and have actually set up their own governments based on both tradition and the needs of today’s world. The various levels of governments in the Northwest Territories are now partnerships working together on unique systems built in the North for all northern people.

Mr. Speaker, we have always lived in balance with this land. People from many cultures have been drawn to the Territories, have fallen in love with our pristine land, largely unscarred and free of pollution. People of the various cultures in the Northwest Territories have had differences from time to time, but we learn to respect each other and take the best of all and forge on with our future together.

The draft agreement-in-principle on land and resources could be a very serious step towards becoming masters in our own land. We all want to take the authority that is rightfully ours that has long rested with the federal government in Ottawa. It is an issue that concerns every person in the Northwest Territories and every level of government. The people must be informed about this process. The people must have a say in how we manage our land and resources. So far there has been no real process to consult with the people of the Northwest Territories on this and this needs to be done.

We know that the AIP calls for the existing system of managing lands and resources to simply be moved from the federal government to the Territories under similar legislation. This is the first step so things run smoothly. But in the long run, Mr. Speaker, we want better management of lands and resources. We want a system that is made in the North, taking the best parts of the old system and improving on it. If there is a final agreement on devolution of lands and resources, we should know where we’re going. We should have the plans of our own for a better system of management that

works at all levels, including the aboriginal governments.

Unfortunately, this work could be a big step towards constitution development in the Northwest Territories. Many of us in this room remember the work done in the past decades by the Western Constitutional Forum, the Constitution Alliance and the Bourque Commission for constitution development. There have been a lot of good ideas but very little has been done to implement them. I hope we will now start the process of building on the best work in the past. We can, and should, work on the system in which aboriginal governments and public governments can work together.

These are some of the reasons, Mr. Speaker, I am asking the Premier to start a public consultation process working with all Regular Members through the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. The goal is to determine the shape of our future management regime for land and resources. Mr. Speaker, we need to do this if this AIP is to produce an acceptable final agreement that works for all Northerners.

Mr. Speaker, all Members of the next Legislative Assembly will have to work hard on these issues. That is why we need to get started and make recommendations for the next Assembly. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.