Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Aumond.

Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the detailed explanation. I am still not sure about this expenditure. Is there actually a job description that is available for this position? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Premier McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We will provide a copy of the job description as soon as we have completed it, which will be in the near future. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Premier McLeod. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess I will just go on record as having questions or concerns about this particular expenditure. If there had been more of an emphasis on infrastructure, maybe getting our territorial formula funding arrangement changed, I could support this. It looks to me like this is a lot of the sort of messaging that the Premier has already started with his red alert campaign. I don't think I could support this.

I want to move on to one other item in this section of the budget. It is also highlighted in the budget address document of additional $595,000 to be allocated to help finalize Indigenous rights agreements. Can someone tell me what that money is going to be used for and what it is going to accomplish? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Premier McLeod.

Thank you, Premier McLeod. Time has expired, but I will allow more clarification. Go ahead, Mr. Courtoreille.

Thank you, Mr. Courtoreille. Further questions? Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Thanks for your patience. I just have a couple of others I want to follow up on, on this one. We have had a couple of years where the budget for negotiations or support for negotiations has been cut in the previous two budgets. It is good to see there is going to be some increased funding here. What assurance can the Minister give us that this is going to help close these deals? We are more than two years past the beginning of our mandate, and there hasn't been one new agreement signed. The joint advisory committee that was set up with the MLAs has met twice. What assurance can the Premier give us that these deals are going to be closed in the less than two years left in our mandate? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Premier McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is not a business where I can guarantee or give any assurances. All I can say is we are giving it an all-out effort to significantly advance the outstanding land claims. I believe that with these additional resources and renewed effort and new approach, that we will make significant progress. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Premier McLeod. Mr. O'Reilly, further questions to this activity summary? Mr. Vanthuyne.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to see if I can get some additional clarification with regard to the negotiations. Premier, you noted that there is an effort going on with regard to the outstanding land rights agreements. You mention the NWT Metis, and I am just wondering if you can comment on: where does the North Slave Metis Alliance sit in this? Obviously, it has been very publicly known that they have had concerns about not being consulted in the past. They won a recent court case that has suggested that both levels of government have not consulted fairly with them. Now that this has been done, on a go-forward basis, what would be the steps in which our government would deal with the North Slave Metis Alliance as it relates to land rights? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Premier McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Through the court process, the judge, when it came to Aboriginal rights for hunting, which for the Metis North Slave Alliance, which to my mind there was never any doubt or question, the judge also directed that there be a strength of claim review with regards to what the North Slave Metis Alliance were requesting. Both the Government of Canada and our government completed strengths of claims. The North Slave Metis Alliance and the NWT Metis Nation had an open house, which they reached and signed an agreement that would describe how they would go forward. The MSR also made some recommendations as to the fact that we should play a greater facilitation role, and also, he had some recommendations as to how the NWT Metis Nation, in their draft AIP or in their draft negotiations, should deal with the North Slave Metis Alliance, which, obviously, is just a recommendation from the MSR, but certainly we are willing to try to play a facilitator's role. I think that is where it is at right now.

Generally, we become involved if the federal government recognizes that there is a table for land claims negotiations. That has been the policy of our government, and right now, they are still seeking a table to further negotiations. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Premier McLeod. Mr. Vanthuyne.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the insight. I really appreciate that. I am also wondering: has the NWT Metis and the North Slave Metis Alliance, either or both of them, made a request yet to the territorial government to mediate any kind of discussions between the two or discrepancies between the two to this point? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Premier McLeod.

Well, we as a government have met on bilateral basis with the NWT Metis Nation, where they requested an opportunity to clarify their positions on several long-standing items, and I certainly believe that we had a very good discussion. We went a long way to having a better understanding of each other's positions, and I think it certainly advanced the discussions.

We were invited to the public meeting that the NWT Metis Nation leadership had here in Yellowknife, along the North Slave Metis Alliance, and at some point, early in the meeting, they asked the government people to leave, and they were able to reach an agreement on, going forward, how they would work together is my understanding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.