Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Members, for your comments here today. It is clear that each of us cares deeply about the future of this territory.
We have a chance to make history here. For all my life, critical decisions about what happens in this territory have been made by the federal government. When I was born in Fort Providence, the Territorial Council, the forerunner to this Legislative Assembly, was still based in Ottawa, and included five appointed Members and only three elected representatives.
Times have changed. There are 19 of us now, responsible for our own budget of approximately $1.5 billion. We direct a territorial civil service that administers a broad range of programs and services for our residents in communities across the Northwest Territories. We have a permanent home of our own here in this building where any Northwest Territories resident can come and see
their government in action. The Commissioner is no longer directly involved in our decisions. We now answer, instead, to the people of the Northwest Territories who elected us to represent their best interests and make decisions on their behalf.
Change and evolution have been a hallmark of this government ever since it came north in 1967. We have steadily taken on responsibility for the programs and services that Canada delivered here, programs and services that provinces were already managing for themselves and their people. Responsibility for public lands and resources is one of the last remaining provincial responsibilities that we do not have in the Northwest Territories. It is time for that to change. Decisions about our land, water and resources need to be made here, in the Northwest Territories, by Northwest Territories residents. We can make that happen with a yes vote on today’s motion.
This Assembly has a vision of a strong, prosperous and sustainable territory. Devolution is the path to that future. Responsibility for our lands and resources is the key to unlocking the economic potential that will provide opportunities to all our residents. It will give Northerners, the people who live here and know the land the best, the authority and tools to manage development and protect our environment. It will create a new era of prosperity that will ensure the social needs of our people are met.
Why is this agreement important? It is important because it gives us control over our own natural resources. It gives us control over resource royalties. It allows us to expand our taxation base which, in turn, makes us more able to be responsible and accountable to the needs and desires of our people. It makes us less dependent on bureaucrats in Ottawa, and it empowers our elected government to govern this territory.
What will devolution give the people of the Northwest Territories and their government? Devolution will bring greater decision-making power. Northwest Territories residents will have a greater voice in decisions about how public land, water and resources are managed, how the economy is developed, and how the environment is protected. It will bring new government revenues. The Northwest Territories, just like the provinces and Yukon, will keep a share of the revenues collected from resource development on public land. This money can be used to support public services, grow the economy, and invest in infrastructure projects that improve life in all our communities. A portion of these revenues will also go to Aboriginal governments to help them grow, build capacity, and meet community needs.
Devolution will provide for coordinated land stewardship. As part of this devolution, our government and participating Aboriginal
governments have agreed to work together on land management and natural resource stewardship. We will also continue to work with the Akaitcho First Nations and Dehcho First Nations with or without devolution.
This means decisions about development and environmental protection will better reflect northern needs and priorities across the territory. It will mean more responsive resource management. We will adopt about 27 federal acts and regulations on the transfer date. There will be a smooth transition of legal authority, existing rights and program delivery. Public services will continue. After the transfer date, our government will be able to change the legislation, if needed, to make sure it reflects northern values and priorities. We will work with Aboriginal governments, regulatory boards, industry and other stakeholders to help ensure government processes provide the efficiency, transparency and certainty to support renewed investment.
Devolution will mean jobs for our people and new opportunities for Northwest Territories businesses. New jobs will be created across the territory as a direct result of devolution. Economic spinoffs from these jobs and related responsibilities could be as much as $28 million per year, creating new opportunities for local business. Aboriginal governments will also have new revenues to provide opportunities based on their specific needs.
We could not have reached this point without the participation of the territory’s regional Aboriginal governments. I would like to thank them for their support. Aboriginal governments helped us negotiate this agreement, and their involvement goes back many years. I am pleased to see that some of their leaders are here today to witness this vote. They are as much a part of devolution as the Members of this House are.
The Government of the Northwest Territories has long recognized the legitimate role that Aboriginal governments play in the lives of their people. We support them in the negotiation and implementation of their land claims and self-government agreements. We have worked very hard to foster government-to-government relations with them. We know that the people of the Northwest Territories are best served when the governments that represent them have the capacity they need to manage their responsibilities.
A key feature of the proposed Devolution Agreement is the separate Intergovernmental Agreement on Lands and Resource Management among our government and participating Aboriginal governments. This separate agreement offers the promise of improved harmonization and potential for shared capacity. The relationship respects the jurisdictions of the Government of the Northwest Territories and Aboriginal governments, while offering opportunity for meaningful input and advice
on land and resource matters. In that spirit of respect, recognition and responsibility, we have committed to sharing a portion of the resource revenues from development on public lands with participating Aboriginal governments. This is in addition to any benefits Aboriginal governments receive from resource revenues to their land claims. We are the first and only jurisdiction in Canada that has offered to share resource revenues with Aboriginal governments with no strings attached.
I have said many times before that our natural resources are the source of all wealth. We need to develop them to benefit from them, but I have also said many times that we do not support development at any cost. Development has to be responsible, it has to be sustainable, and it has to provide real benefit to the people of the Northwest Territories.
Devolution will give us a sweep of legislative authorities and tools that will help us ensure that development in our territory is responsible and sustainable. This agreement will finally put Northerners in a position to ensure their priorities are being reflected in resource development and environmental management decisions. That is as it should be. We are the ones who live here. We know this land and we know what matters to us. We have a vested interest in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the land.
Our government’s commitment to conservation and sustainability won’t change just because we have devolution. We all know the Northwest Territories has great potential. We have what the world needs. We have the energy and mineral resources that the world wants. Devolution will allow us to use that natural wealth for the direct benefit of our people, for our children and our grandchildren. It will secure the financial stability of the Government of the Northwest Territories and our Aboriginal government partners, and enable us to work together for the good of all the residents of the Northwest Territories.
Our time has come, the North’s time has come. We have been working on this deal for many years and it is time for us to finally enjoy the results of that work.
We have been to the people, we held more than 45 public and stakeholder meetings and formally consulted Aboriginal governments. The message to us was clear: the people want devolution. Not supporting this motion is a vote for the status quo, for more of the same. I think we are passed that. I don’t believe any of us are really satisfied with more of the same. We are here to improve the lives of our people in this territory.
Today’s vote is a chance for us to stand up for the Northwest Territories and the people we represent. It is a chance for us to stand individually and collectively as the elected representatives of this
territory and say yes. Yes, I believe in my territory and I believe in our people. Yes, I believe that we have the potential to be a truly great part of a great country.
I do believe in this territory and its people. It is high time for Northerners to take control of their future and make their own decisions about our economy, our environment and our society. I have every confidence that we will, as a territory, and as the elected representatives of our people, rise to the challenge and together create the future that we have long envisioned for ourselves.
I will be standing up for the people of the Northwest Territories today, Mr. Speaker, and I invite all my colleagues to stand and join me. Thank you. I would like to ask for a recorded vote.