Governments have a historical and special relationship with Aboriginal, specifically treaty, people. Here in the Northwest Territories, we have an opportunity to show the rest of Canada and the world how to improve and do things better in the area of negotiations, settling land claims and working together, having a good relationship with Aboriginal governments, and I think we’re making a lot of progress in that area.
I’ve said many times that in the historical treaty areas that the Member is talking about, the difference is that those Aboriginal governments believe in the oral version of the treaties. They don’t believe in the written version of the treaties. The Constitution of Canada refers to the written versions and modern land claims and self-government, so I think that’s a decision that Aboriginal governments have to make.
We as a government are working. We have the process with the Dehcho First Nation to try to find a way to move forward, and I think we’ve been having some good discussions. We’re hoping to establish a similar arrangement with the Akaitcho at some point and I think that’s been happening. As everybody knows, it started out as a Dene and Metis comprehensive land claim, but because of their differences and development, it split out into a number of regional land claims and even to community land claims and self-government, so for those that feel they want to make progress, they’ve looked at those other options as well.