Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories have been self-governing nations since time immemorial and also under Treaty 8 and Treaty 11, which established a nation-to-nation relationship between the Crown and the NWT First Nations that required the Government of Canada to respect Aboriginal rights and the Government of the Northwest Territories to ensure that we protect the rights and interests in any process that happens in the Northwest Territories.
The process of negotiation of the devolution agreement is flawed in how it was conducted. There were many agreements made in the past, most importantly through the Dene-Metis Land Claim Agreement, which clearly defined the Northern Accord process as the avenue we were going to take to provide themselves with not only ownership of lands and resources but also management requirements and arrangements though the claims and an opportunity to participate in the oil and gas arrangements throughout the Northwest Territories similar to those worded in the Inuvialuit agreement, which is not in the Dene-Metis claim.
The federal government has a treaty obligation, not only constitutionally but also under the land claims obligations and Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution. Involving Aboriginal governments is a matter of natural process and accommodating Aboriginal governments in the interests and the rights that they hold.
The land claims agreements are in place between the Gwich’in and the Sahtu and the Tlicho, and they have similar wording in all their agreements. With regard to the Tlicho Agreement under Section 23.5,1, and also in regard to the Sahtu Agreement under Section 22.1,6, the Gwich’in Agreement under Section 21.1.6, they clearly stipulate that the Government of the Northwest Territories shall involve the Aboriginal governments in development and implementation of a northern accord of oil and gas development in the Northwest Territories which is negotiated in accordance with the enabling agreement September 5, 1988, between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories, with regard to any other agreement and subject in regard to minerals, oil and gas, and also any transfer from the Government of Canada to the Government of the Northwest Territories.
The issues for Aboriginal governments should have been heard loud and clear. They do not have a problem with the devolution process. They have a problem...