Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Freedom. Such a powerful word. People fight for it, children yearn for it, companies aspire to it and governments protect it at all costs. As individuals, we cherish it. Sahtu region wants its freedom, wants its independence. We have tasted it. We have known what it is like to have departments slowly coming into the regions ourselves to make our own decisions based on the realities of the Sahtu lifestyle.

The time has come for the other regions to let go of their shackles on the Sahtu and allow it to make its own decisions.

For example, the Department of Transportation, airports decisions come from Inuvik. On the highways, decisions come from the Fort Simpson regional office. Even the Department of Public Works, the decisions come from the Inuvik region. We are not allowed, through this bureaucratic red tape process, to make our own decisions. The Sahtu is asking for that independence. Given the ability and the technology today, we want our own region. We cannot be penalized for not being big enough or not having an all-season highway or not having enough employees, for all of the excuses the government says why we shouldn’t be an independent region like any other region.

The Sahtu people today want to know why the government isn’t allowing it to be an independent region, a stand-alone region to come to the table like any other region and say we are a full partnership in this territorial government.

I’ll ask questions to the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.