Thank you, Mr. Chair. I won't double up on what my colleague, Mr. Nadli, had to say, but getting back to self-government negotiations and where each land claiming group stands right now and looking forward. I think we all have similar issues, but also very, very different issues in all of our regions in the territory given the structure of self-government and, as well, how the government relationships are working between each region in the GNWT.
I think as much of a struggle as it is for our regions, I think the Northwest Territories is probably the closest government to work with so many different Aboriginal groups, and I think this gives us an opportunity to not just lead the way in Canada but show that there's sovereignty among Arctic nations that coincide in the Northwest Territories. Mine, definitely being for the furthest north, I see the progress that we're making and I commend both the Inuvialuit and the GNWT for taking the steps together.
For me this is important as we move forward the decisions that are being made by Indigenous groups are going to have a lasting effect and we need to ensure that the wording on these agreements stand strong to who we are. As I mentioned earlier, I won't mention much, but, you know, fostering and creating a sustainable development and building a resilience in our communities is important and the access to basic education is a key as well as housing and all these other things that we've been working towards
Lately, there's been a lot of research and documents that come out from across the territories, and I think we need to use those as a foundation of where we are because in some cases in some provinces or territories that's the only hard data that we have.
Also, when it comes to dealing with Arctic issues, not including northern provinces which are considered Arctic communities and in a case from where we look at from our point of view from the globe where we stand that's not the case. So focusing on our needs is important and I think moving forward I look forward to seeing what the department has to offer in regards of support for the GNWT to provide the best support for Indigenous groups. Even though some of these agreements may be with Canada I think that if we work together we can make a bigger difference. Thank you, Mr. Chair.