Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move this motion forward with the support of my colleague, the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe. It speaks to a possible solution towards working with our Aboriginal claimant groups as we examine the devolution question for the Northwest Territories.

The devolution for the Northwest Territories has to be agreed to by all people and the whole North must support it. That’s the content of the motion.

Devolution should be the way that people want it, Mr. Speaker. The way that they can get their voice is by being together. I’ve always said, over the years, that communication is key. By establishing an Aboriginal devolution commission I believe that it can work by getting our Aboriginal groups. It doesn’t mean that they support the agreement-in-

principle as it is, because currently Mr. Premier is saying we’ve got this agreement-in-principle, now you come and join us and then we’ll work from there. But the devolution commission that I envision would just have our Aboriginal groups sitting together at a very semi-formal environment, and it will provide recommendations to government about examining the agreement-in-principle.

There’s still lots of confusion out there, Mr. Speaker, and I don’t believe our government has done justice to the people of the Northwest Territories when they’re communicating what devolution really is. When I’m in my region, when I’m travelling in the communities, I ask people: What does devolution mean to you? What they’re telling me is that the government’s going to take my land. That’s totally wrong, so I do my best to explain the process of devolution. But that only speaks to how the communication and understanding of devolution to the people of the Northwest Territories, probably not only in my riding but in other ridings, about the confusion around devolution and transfer of lands and resources and the water.

I believe a commission of this nature can establish that. I foresee it much like a public inquiry where they’re travelling to the different regions and different communities providing opportunities for the public, Aboriginal groups, and anybody that’s interested in understanding what it is and where we must go if we want to proceed in the future. I believe that will give the voice to the whole of the Northwest Territories once we do that.

Currently, what we have now is we have an Aboriginal forum but I believe that it’s more like a sounding board, Mr. Speaker. That’s the way we view it, I view it, and I believe our Aboriginal groups also view it as more like a sounding board. It’s nothing formal. A devolution commission, I believe, formalizes the government to reach out and work with the Aboriginal groups.

The future of Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, has to be strong and united, and Aboriginal groups have always maintained right from day one that they are an intrinsic part of the North and should be an intrinsic part of our government.

Devolution also forces our hand in the evolution of our territory, Mr. Speaker. The Aboriginal groups have to have a place within our government. We’re a government in progress. We’ve done some great movements over the past 25 to 30 years, but in the last while we’ve stalled, but there’s got to be a place for Aboriginal governments and our government together. I think Mr. Premier spoke about a coalition or council of Aboriginal governments and territorial governments, so somewhere along the line we’re going to have to make room for that, and this commission, I believe, will be a basis.

As well, fracturing the North and Aboriginal governments is just not the way to do it. Forcing their hand, like Mr. Krutko said, is not one way of doing it, but being at the same level at the same table when we’re talking about devolution, I believe, is an acceptable way to do it.

I must say there, Mr. Speaker, that as an MLA, ideas are born as we go out and talk to people in our constituency and in our communities, and this is one of the ideas that came. It’s a very new idea, this Aboriginal devolution commission. I wish we had more time to develop it, but we’re at the dying days of our government. It’s something that if we work hard on it, I believe that our government and the whole Assembly could support such a commission.

It’s too bad the time was short and we weren’t able to get a desirable devolution motion together that could be supported by everybody, but this idea can grow, I believe, Mr. Speaker, and I believe the motion speaks about doing it in the 17th Assembly. I

believe that the idea will grow, hopefully, that there’s debate today, we’ll get out to our Aboriginal regional governments, Aboriginal communities, Aboriginal claimant groups, settled or unsettled, and we can take this idea and foster it and make it real in the 17th Assembly.

I know for sure that my colleagues here today spoke about the election that’s coming up, and should I return, I will certainly be championing this Aboriginal devolution commission for the 17th Assembly.

With that, Mr. Speaker, that’s the concept behind this motion, and I would urge my colleagues to give it serious consideration. Hopefully they can support it, and that we can make this recommendation to this government and even include it in some transition planning for the 17th Assembly, Mr.

Speaker. Mahsi cho.