Bob McLeod

We will find a way to get input from people that have large amounts of land that have some information to contribute.

Obviously, there’s more than just this Legislative Assembly. For example, Yellowknife has seven MLAs that people in Yellowknife can just phone and walk to their MLAs’ doors and provide input. We also have other avenues. We have committee meetings. We have departments where we consult, and then we consult and we consult on every imaginable kind of policy, and we seek input and then we go back and go back to the committees for their input and then, as a government, we take a position or develop a policy and then we would work with our Aboriginal governments on the Intergovernmental Council for...

Obviously, when we discussed this we talked about involving Aboriginal governments. I know that committee also has some ideas of who should be involved. We will take all of those ideas and work with committee to come up with a process that would be acceptable to the majority. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are having active discussions with the other Aboriginal governments who have not signed on as of yet. Our objective is to have 100 percent of the Aboriginal governments sign on. The federal government has indicated that their financial contributions will cease after one year, but as a government we will welcome the Aboriginal governments that have not signed on yet. Preferably, our objective is within a year, but I think it will be a standing offer.

We have in place with the Dehcho, a working group of senior officials with oversight provided by myself and the grand chief of the Dehcho First...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 69(2) and have Bill 17, Northwest Territories Intergovernmental Agreement on Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement Act, moved into Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Premier, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 69(2) and have Bill 16, Northwest Territories Intergovernmental Agreement on Lands and Resources Management Act, moved into Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Kam Lake, that Bill 15, Oil and Gas Operations Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill substantially mirrors the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act in accordance with the requirements of the Northwest Territories Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 16, Northwest Territories Intergovernmental Agreement on Lands and Resources Management Act, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 17, Northwest Territories Intergovernmental Agreement on Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement Act, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Kam Lake, that Bill 15, Oil and Gas Operations Act, be read for the first time. Thank you.