Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to welcome the Premier’s delegation and all the people in the gallery here today who made the journey to the Legislative Assembly. Thank you for joining us today.

As mentioned by my colleague, a lot of key words were used – historic – and I think I’d like to echo those same sentiments. This is very much historic data. As we say, 19 years in the making, but I think it actually occurred even before that. I think it was back in 1976 when this first got off the ground. So this has been an extremely long journey with a lot of hard work, a lot of dedicated people, a lot of government officials, and later today I will have the honour, on behalf of the elders, to make more personal thanks and I’m honoured to do that.

It goes without saying the negotiating team behind us had to endure a lot of personal sacrifice. I want to thank them for their tenacity and expedience on keeping focused on a very important cause. I think it’s important that we recognize that. To the elders, I appreciate all the elders who played a key role involving the culture and the value and, in a lot of cases, the oral tradition that’s being passed from generation to generation. That’s not on paper, Madam Chair, and I believe the oral tradition is embodied within the pages, the act and the bill before us. So, to the elders, thank you. You know who you are, but I will be saying thank you to them later as well.

Madam Chair, I am very supportive. I speak in a very positive tone. Like my colleagues, I wish this bill expediency in the process. I do have some general comments, though, if at some point in time the Premier could address in some form or fashion. Those general comments will be in terms of regulations that will be attached to this bill. When will the regulations be written? How will those regulations be rolled out? Is there a timeline involved with this bill? More importantly, are there other triggering mechanisms that will happen at the federal level if and when this bill gets to third reading? I know there is a triggering mechanism that has to happen at a federal level. If he could fill in those two gaps, it would make the journey complete in the mind of this MLA.

Until such time, I want to thank all parties involved. Very well done. Mahsi cho.