Thank you, Madam Chair. Looking at the report, it’s a three-page report, and
I’m very interested in this report because the economic and infrastructure report sees the development of the economic opportunities and the mineral development strategies as the 17th Assembly’s major initiative, and more so the implementation of these plans. If you look at it, the report says the next 10 to 20 years. One of the biggest red flaggers that come out of me when I see this report is 20 years is 2035 and that’s close to the year that the federal government is bringing the Northwest Territories housing funding down to a dwindle. Somehow we have to continue with that type of level of funding or we are going to move into more of a homeownership type of programs. We have all these public housing units, public housing that has been almost enshrined into an institution unto itself in the Northwest Territories. We have to pay for it somehow. The programs and services, we have got to pay for it.
We have a wealth of resources here that, I have heard over time, there has got to be a balance. There are some regions that are still in the process of settling or coming to the conclusion to a land claim of jurisdictions, institutions and certainty, and there are other regions that have that already. There are already systems and mechanisms and institutions in place and is enshrined into the Constitution as a constitutional document. From the economic opportunities, we welcome it, we welcome the Mineral Development Strategy and we have some mineral opportunities. There are certainly some of the past remnants that are coming up now in the Northwest Territories, such as the Canol Heritage Trail, where the US government basically said to Canada, are you going to help us or not? But we are going in there, because we have to get that oil from Norman Wells to Whitehorse and further to the United States. When the war was over, they just got up and walked away. Now we are dealing with that through a process, the liability.
Norman Wells also was one of the first significant oil discoveries in Canada, Northwest Territories, and that was done through Imperial and the federal government as to how they put that deal together. Those days are gone now because our region has the mechanism and the means to look at situations that economic opportunities bring to us. So that is one of the complexities.
My whole thing behind the economic opportunities and report is the relationship with the Aboriginal governments. They are major stakeholders in ownership of surface and subsurface lands. That’s our government-to-government-to-government relationship, given that they have a Constitution document, they have institutions such as land and water boards as independent, we have land use plans and we have provisions within a prescribed document such as the land claim to deal with issues. We welcome other opinions, but they are
just opinions for us and not to have a government such as the territorial government override. We want them to work with us.
The region claim has already been set. Let the people within the region that negotiated set their direction. I wanted to say this, that the people that were in these discussions are highly respected, know what’s going on, and that we ask that, through this government, they respect the jurisdiction, the certainty and the boards that we set up to negotiate. There are some very, very capable people and if you ask them to come to the table with us to give us their opinions, then that’s fine, but not for another party to tell us how to live and where to live and how we should live. Those days are gone, all gone. We will work with you.
As I was stating, the economic opportunities are really, really significant in the Sahtu and we have some people that are looking to it as a way to create some economic freedom in our region. We have some people in our region who sit on these co-management decision boards.
Right now we are in a state of doom and gloom. Go to our region right now. Just this past week one part of the hotel shut down November 1st . The owner
packed up and walked away. You know, that’s not good.
We do not want to remain in the poor house. It’s like having a cow but you are buying your milk from somewhere else. That’s not right and that’s what we always stated in our land claim agreement. We know what we’re doing. We know what we are doing. At least allow us the dignity to work towards what we want in the Sahtu. There are provisions; there are things in the report. They should respect that.
There are lots of issues out there and so I want to say that these Economic and Mineral Development strategies, within our land claim we can work with it as long as the Government of the Northwest Territories respects what was fought for, what was negotiated, what was settled, and not to alter, change or to do anything that is going to create hardship within our region.
We have the oil and we can use it, and that I would like the members of this committee to understand. Thank you.