I think, with the resource that is in the Sahtu, it’s important that the government continue to take the long game approach to the development of those resources.

Two big decisions were made. Obviously, the decision to move forward with devolution and negotiate a deal for the people of the Northwest Territories, that was very important. The other decision that was key to all of this was the fact that we wanted to build the capacity to regulate the oil and gas industry here in the Northwest Territories. We didn’t want to be regulated from Calgary; we wanted to have some input on policy, on direction. That was a big thing for us and we moved forward. We have the regulatory authority onshore to develop these resources, and we are in a process right now where we have draft filing requirements out for public review. We are consulting with Aboriginal governments around the territory, as I mentioned in my Minister’s statement earlier today. We are going to take some time. We are going to ensure that we hear from everybody we need to hear from. We’re going to try to get the information out there the people need to make informed decisions about these new regulations.

The fact of the matter is we are regulating the industry. These are our resources. They belong to the people of the Sahtu, the people of the Northwest Territories, and who better to manage the environment and these resources than the Government of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.