Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for those comments. It’s nice to hear that something is happening — still not sure what. We’re going to hear something in the next few weeks. What exactly are we going to hear in the next few weeks? And what will be the schedule for putting that in place, getting it done?

Thank you for those comments. If all interests and intentions, as the Minister has said, have been here since the 15th Assembly, I want to know what we are doing about getting this done. Currently this government is not shy about insisting and pressuring the assistance panel to make decisions on project developments. We are not shy about prejudging development projects as no-brainers. We can’t develop our resources fast enough. All of those benefits are leaving the Northwest Territories. We needed this fund established in the 15th Assembly. Here we are in the 16th. What are we doing to...

I would like to recognize Richard Edjericon, Weledeh resident, and I believe Jerry Jaud is also a resident of Weledeh.

There we are talking about it again. I really want to get this fund established. I’m wondering if the government is investigating, for example, Norway’s special tax that ensures that excess profits from resource development companies go to the government for the benefit of the people or the production tax that’s used by the state of Alaska. What are we doing on the ground?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We obviously are making a lot of decisions here about our future, and we are dealing with issues as a result of previous governments that have made decisions that are affecting our current situation. What is this government doing to establish long term financial benefits from the investment in or from the use of our resources, such as diamonds and oil and gas? What efforts are we putting in to establishing a heritage fund for our future?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are mining our best sources of non-renewable resources, our richest mineral and fuel deposits and most valuable diamonds, as fast as we can with little regard to the future or our responsibility to nail down firm benefits for those who will come after. Like many jurisdictions we face two main problems: resource prices can be highly volatile, and the resources are exhaustible. Also, of course, development can have significant negative social and environmental costs.

One opportunity to manage this is to establish a non-renewable permanent fund or heritage fund. This is...

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Minister’s Statement 80-16(2), Sessional Statement, and would like to report progress.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you again for those comments. One last question: could the Premier outline the role he sees this side of the House playing and how he intends to involve us as representatives of the people in this process in a meaningful and timely way?

Thank you for those comments. I want to state that I am the first one to recognize we have an extremely complex situation here, and a bull in a china shop is obviously not the right approach. We need to be very sensitive here.

Has the Premier assured these aboriginal governments that this process will in no way impinge upon their ability to negotiate their own devolution of resource revenue agreements as part of their self-government negotiations and land claim settlement negotiations?

Mr. Speaker, I made a statement on artists. I’d like to recognize Wynter and Montana as extraordinary up and coming fiddlers. Thank you.