Thank you. Mr. Speaker, it is our intent to keep working and to promote development but to also to promote the notion that every person in the Northwest Territories should benefit from development that occurs within the Northwest Territories. A list of ways in which we can benefit has been articulated in some point or another by this government, but we know that as development happens in the mining sector and also in oil and gas there is a need for many things. One is a health care system that is properly funded, a social safety network that is there for people that require it, that depend on it, that have full right to expect it to be there; to have money for the roads that bring the trucks to resupply the mines, that bring exploration companies to the areas that they want to study; to see that environmental cleanup is done so that the past environmental messes that were left in this country are cleaned up, so that people are assured that it will never happen again; to see that there is economic development money available.

There is a considerable list of requirements that we need, and in particular we need to say to the federal government time and again, that we will continue to do that and take a positive attitude and believe that, as late as it is, there is still time for the federal government to partner with us as we are starting to partner with the Yukon, to work together so that we can truly maximize all the opportunities that will be coming as more development comes. By partnering with the federal government, with neighbouring governments, we can give the confidence to our people that we are doing and will continue to do everything that we can with all governments and all parties to develop the confidence that we are ready, we can be ready and we will be ready. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, some of the common issues that we have immediately are, of course, to see the upcoming proposal to build the Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline as a positive development for both territories and to agree to find ways in which we can all benefit from that project as it is developed and is filed with the National Energy Board and to see how that can fit into the planning of bringing natural gas out of the Yukon through the northern end onto that project.

As well, we have the Porcupine caribou herd, the issues of the calving grounds in Alaska and in the immediate need to continue to support the Gwich'in from Alaska, from the Yukon and the Northwest Territories in their continued effort to protect the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd from unnecessary encroachment by oil and gas development and from many legislative initiatives by the American government.

We recently did some work together on trying to get a fair deal from Ottawa in regard to help and we will continue to collaborate on that. We know all three territories are suffering from a lack of an economic development agreement that all other jurisdictions in Canada enjoy at this time. So we will focus on that. Tourism is another issue that I think we will be having some discussions on. So those are some of the areas which we've agreed to look at and start working at together. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the day after the Premier of the Yukon was elected, he contacted our office and asked to speak to me. We had our conversation. It was an expression of interest to take a positive approach to working with the Northwest Territories to seek out those things that we have in common, the things we all need and to find ways in which we can work cooperatively in partnership. I agreed with that. We met a few days later in Calgary and had a longer conversation about that. On Thursday morning, I will be travelling to Whitehorse to sign a memorandum with Premier Fentie to meet with the Premier and his colleagues and the caucus there, as well as with the Yukon aboriginal leadership in an attempt to show the serious manner in which we see this new development and to build on it. So, in short, Mr. Speaker, the intent is to sign a memorandum that will say we have differences, we set those aside, we have common interests, common goals, and those are the ones that we are going to work on together and we will begin that relationship commonly through signing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, in the '70s, all the staff were in Hull, Quebec. So it can be seen positively as a change in attitude perhaps by federal officials. We can contact the Minister's office and continue to send the message that we want oil and gas pipeline development resources located in places other than Yellowknife, to make sure that along the right-of-way, in the regions where oil and gas development is occurring, that those will be the places where federal officials should be located. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the initial discussion I had with Minister Nault was two years ago. At that time, we indicated that our preference would be to see this office and the staff placed in communities other than Yellowknife because the oil and gas activity is along the Mackenzie Valley. We mentioned Hay River, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells and Inuvik as possible sites that they should consider. He indicated at that time that he was prepared to look at that, so we can have some communication with the Minister to determine whether the additional staff and resources that are going to be coming to the North to fulfill the oil and gas responsibilities of the federal government could be placed in those communities that I named. I don't think they are open to relocating the present office at this time, but we can ask that question as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is an announcement that came from the federal Minister, Robert Nault. It is money that the federal government is putting in place to open an office, to hire staff to help them get ready for the real possibility that a Mackenzie Valley pipeline will be proposed by producers and aboriginal groups in the next few months. So we are not privy to the information. I believe it has been announced, the money has been allocated and the office will be opened and staff will be hired, as far as I understand, all based here in Yellowknife. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government, I believe, is of the view that we are ready and if the federal government engages with us in making sure we have the infrastructure dollars required, if we get the health dollars we believe we need and are entitled to, if we get access to the training dollars we believe are required, if the federal government properly resources the aboriginal communities so that they can get economic development dollars, business development dollars in place, as is their mandate, then this government will not only have the plan, but have the resources available to throw additional dollars into the communities, so we can be more than ready to benefit from the development that we see coming. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the staff that we have and the resources we have presently are fully engaged. We do not have additional resources available to undertake what the Member is suggesting. The federal government, I believe, is obliged to step forward and help us make sure our roads are properly maintained, developed and finished so that development can happen in a way that will benefit us. The federal government has to take primary responsibility for helping us fund the training programs that are required so that our people are trained and educated to do the jobs that will be coming forward. I believe the federal government has to take the responsibility for making sure the many boards and agencies that deal with environmental and land use planning and the developmental aspects of development as it encroaches on the North are dealt with and communities are prepared in order to deal with those. So we still insist that our government is not resourced properly. We are on a fixed formula and there is no mechanism right now for us to benefit from resource development because those projects that are now having revenue flowing from royalties are going all to the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The ability of this government to deal with developers coming into communities, whether they are mining companies or oil and gas companies is limited. It always has been limited. We continue to say that the federal government must take responsibility, primary responsibility, for getting our communities and businesses well prepared to deal with development as it comes to us and to benefit from it. As a government, we advocate development, we promote it and we've sent a message to industry, the federal government and public that what we are advocating is a positive approach and a well-prepared approached to development. In order to sustain it, we need the federal government to step up and take a positive attitude and an aggressive approach to make sure the proper resources and planning are there so that all of us can benefit. Thank you.