Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak about the completion of negotiations on land rights, resources, and self-government. We committed in our mandate to finalize these agreements, and we recognize that without their completion many of our other priority goals will be stymied or may not even be achievable.

Mr. Speaker, it is a discussion that has been going on for a lifetime, and its importance is not diminishing over time. In fact, it is growing in urgency. Since the last election, Mr. Speaker, this issue has been raised in every constituency meeting that I have had so far. All Northerners know the importance of completing these agreements on land rights. They know how much depends on fair and thorough negotiation and resolution of these issues, and like all of us in this House, they want to see this job done. They want certainty.

We know that the NWT is seen as a favourable place to invest in exploration. Recent numbers regarding staking and the positive uptake in the mineral incentive program show us that. We know that we are developing recreational land use plans. We want to move ahead with developments in agriculture, forestry, and alternative energies. We know that our tourism sector is booming, but many of these initiatives can be slowed down or brought to a complete halt unless we resolve the issues of land rights.

That said, Mr. Speaker, we also know it is a complex and detailed job. My insistence that we must make progress in these negotiations indicates no lack of respect and appreciation for those charged with the task. It is fair to say it has been a challenge facing public government. It is fair to say it is the biggest challenge facing public governance in our territory, but as I said earlier, it has been going on for a lifetime.

Mr. Speaker, in the last sitting the Premier rose in the Assembly and provided us with an update of the many different folders in this file. It was encouraging to hear the many fronts on which progress was being made, but now we are just two years away from the next election. Mr. Speaker, the 18th Assembly made a commitment to see real progress, even completion on these negotiations.

Our window to achieve real progress is growing more and more narrow. The Northwest Territories and its people are ready to move on and build their future. It is time we helped them get there. Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.