Indigenous governments have told the Government of the Northwest Territories that building capacities is a priority and a challenge for them. Through the devolution agreement, the Government of the Northwest Territories has heard and responded to the needs of Indigenous governments by sharing up to 25 per cent of royalty resources with our partners for their capacity. This is unprecedented. There is no other jurisdiction across Canada that has stepped up to the plate and offered this type of capacity to their Indigenous government partners.

We are also working with Indigenous governments in other ways to build their capacity. For example, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Gwich’in Tribal Council have an MOU providing Gwich’in employees with opportunities working as Government of the Northwest Territories employees to build capacity, and we have also signed it with the federal government.

With regard to self-government, we have developed a framework so that, as these self-government agreements are negotiated, the Government of the Northwest Territories employees who move on to work with the Aboriginal governments through self-government, we have provided for successor rights. We have the NEBS, which is the Northern Employee Benefit Services, which can provide pensions for those employees who go over. Through the self-government negotiations, those specifically capacity-building and training are being negotiated through those agreements, as well.