Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] We are talking about a very important issue here because we’re going to transfer a lot of power to the territorial government here. The Premier has signed the agreement and I’m very happy that that was done. Today is a very special day, and when you look at it, I want to thank all the people that work on the devolution.

In 1967, that was the last time that we had some of the issues of devolution to happen. That was the Health and Education. Since then we also had the highway put through to the Northwest Territories. But now we have a document in front of us that is

going to have everything included that we had agreed with, and we’re starting to see it.

I know that there are some people that are not satisfied, and it is very difficult to have everybody agree, but when you look at the federal government and within Canada and the provinces, and also from the Nunavut government and other governments, it is very difficult to work with the budget, the money. But now with this agreement, it is an agreement that we may not see again, if we don’t agree with it, for a long time.

This agreement that is in front of us for the North, a lot of people are looking at it in the North. I know that there are a lot of people looking at us when we’re working on this agreement. There are a lot of issues that are within that agreement, but we are talking about generations that are to come, that are not here yet.

All the people were involved in the North with this agreement, but we’ve been talking about this for almost 30 years, because it’s very important. We are very careful. We want to make sure that we include everything that we wanted. I know the federal government, the way they work, so we have to be very careful and we have to have a lot of our Cabinet work with us, also the Aboriginal governments. We have to be very careful of the way the words were worded within the agreement, and also the federal government looked at the document, about the document, and we’ve been talking to the communities and to the people. When the Prime Minister came to the North, he looked at the agreement. We all opened the issue of devolution to the people at that time.

Also, the negotiating team travelled to all the communities and it was a very difficult job, but they did it. I know there are a lot of leaders here in the House and we’re here because they supported us. We are in one House. We are going to work with them and they are going to work with us. That is the only way that we are going to strengthen our political beliefs and concerns.

So if we are going to make this agreement work, we have to work on it ourselves. If we wait for the federal government, it’s going to take years on some issues that we’re concerned about. I know there are some issues we can change if we take on devolution. Devolution is going to help us with all those issues. Our House is going to be in charge of all the issues of the North as one person in this House, if devolution goes ahead.

On my last note, Mr. Speaker, the implementation, after we have signed our agreement with the federal government, we are going to be travelling on a new path on implementation. It’s almost like putting a puzzle together and we are going to be working on this for the next year. Like a baby, we are going to be holding each other with our elders in hand, and all the other leaders in place, and all

the northern people. We are going to hold hands and move forward. That is what we want, and that is why we are here and have come to this issue now.

Under the Premier, this has been done under the Premier and it’s a very difficult job, but it’s done. Also, Floyd Roland, who was the previous Premier, worked on it. The Legislative Assembly has a lot of people who worked on it too, all the Aboriginal governments who are in House with us and also our Inuit neighbours and the Inuvialuit and the Gwich’in. The Tlicho is also in support of this agreement with us. I know that we worked many years and it’s now like we have won. I know a lot of people are listening to us today, and in the North, right up to the Arctic Ocean, they are watching us.

I am here representing four communities. I am representing Tlicho, so I would like to thank all the people of the Tlicho Nation. Thank you very much. Now that the motion is in front of us, I am going to be in support of this motion. That’s what I have to say. Thank you.