Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, information item, corporate management, active positions. Any questions?

Page 4-17, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, activity summary, negotiations. Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just have one question here. Certainly, in my time here, I’ve realized that this section of this department is really busy. We seem to increase the number of negotiating tables that we’re at on a yearly basis. I’m wondering how things are going in terms of negotiating tables. I don’t imagine that we’ve lost any, so to speak, in this last year. I note on the next page that we have gone down one staff member from the current budget year to the next budget year. Are we still negotiating at the same number of tables as previously? If so, why has our staff complement gone down? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Premier McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We still have the same complement of tables, 15 negotiating tables. We are getting better at negotiating and we are also taking the approach of doubling up negotiators at some tables so that one negotiator can handle more than one table. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Premier McLeod. Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. No, I’m good. That’s all I have.

Committee, we’re going to take a short break. We’ll return back to page 4-17. Thank you.

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Welcome back, committee. We are on page 4-17, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, activity summary, negotiations, operations expenditure summary, $2.437 million. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just in terms of tables that we’ve got going, I think for sort of land claim settlements it’s Dehcho and Akaitcho and the rest are self-government negotiations. Do I have that right?

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Partially right. There are also some negotiations

with bands from outside the Territories and there’s the Acho Dene Koe from Fort Liard and the Sahtu communities are doing self-government negotiations.

These are confidential negotiations, but is there anything that we can say about where we’re at, for example, with the Akaitcho and Dehcho land claims settlement negotiations with the federal government and ourselves? I know we’ve been at it a long time. How long have we been at it and what is it looking like? Is there anything that the Minister can see that we can do to help move those files along?

We’ve been trying to work with all of the tables. The federal government has also started, I think, their review of the negotiating tables. They want to focus on the land claims tables that seem to be making the most progress. They undertook surveys but we haven’t seen the results of the work that they’ve done. At least they haven’t shared it with us. We know that they have been doing that. We are also having some bilateral discussions with some of the negotiation tables to see if we can work together, at least from the Northwest Territories side, to see if we can make progress.

By bilateral, we mean the Aboriginal government and ourselves. Is that correct?

That’s correct.

I know that if we continue to go to individual community negotiations for self-government and so on, this could really add to the workload and sort of the fine grained collection of agreements that we would have at the end of it, and we want to be able to try and come up with a system, ultimately, I think, once we get to the point where we can start talking constitutional development, that we can smoothly figure out a way to work together, once we all have our authorities. Is there anything we can do, or what’s the situation with that tendency to get into smaller and smaller parts of negotiation?

I don’t think that’s totally pervasive across the different regions that have not settled land claims or self-government. I know in the Sahtu is the approach that was negotiated through their land claim. I know that the Dehcho, not every community is in that situation. The Acho Dene Koe went on their own, but that was agreed to with the Dehcho First Nations. They K’atlodeeche First Nation decided to stick with their reserve and have a different process. Wrigley moved out, but I don’t think they’ve formally severed their ties yet but…the Akaitcho… The Salt River First Nation already settled their treaty land entitlement and they’ve gone on their own. It remains to be seen. I think the Akaitcho

government, the four communities are still together, Deninu Ku’e, Lutselk'e and Detah, Ndilo.

I think a large part will depend on progress and, of course, the Dehcho and Akaitcho, of course, have their treaty process, so that’s an area where they have to decide if they’re going to stick with the treaty process or go with a modern land claim. To me, that’s sort of been the sticking point.

Thanks for that information. And of course, there’s Deline, which is, I think, close to a final agreement, in the Sahtu. With the Tlicho, I believe they have the ability to draw down powers. Have we reached that point? Are they at the point where they’re ready to do that or what’s the situation on that front?

My understanding is that they have 10 years to decide whether they’re going to draw down, and I think they’re probably about two or three years away from the 10 years.

I think that’s it. I’m sure most of all the unsettled land claims people would like to see these things settled so we can get on with other priorities, but this is a priority and I appreciate the work the department’s doing here, and I hope we can make progress on these files. That’s all I had.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Committee, you’re on 4-17, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, activity summary, negotiations, operations expenditure summary, $2.437 million. Does committee agreed?