Bob McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now we are negotiating a final agreement with the Government of Canada and the participating Aboriginal governments. We are keeping the other Aboriginal governments that have not signed on the AIP, we are keeping them informed by regular detailed updates on the negotiations, and we are also in discussions with four Aboriginal governments to see if we can find common ground with regard to devolution and other Aboriginal issues. Thank you.

One of the commitments we have made to committee is that we will work with them as we deal with decentralization, and I’m quite prepared to look at the program review office, if that will assist us in dealing with this initiative of this government.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can tell the Member that she can count on us. We are supportive of decentralization and we are beginning plans to take that under consideration. Thank you.

As the Member is aware, the framework agreement that was signed by all three parties, which guides the Dehcho negotiating process, points out that both the federal government and the Dehcho have different understandings on the interpretations of treaties 8 and 11, and our preference is that the Aboriginal and treaty rights for the Dehcho be negotiated through the land and resources agreement.

As I talked about before, the Dehcho understand that devolution is based on a modern land claim treaty and they don’t agree with the written version of the treaties. Their view is their oral version where...

In looking at other successful initiatives on decentralization, generally it works best when you make fast decisions and move quickly on it, so we are working very closely with the committees on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At the start of the 17th Assembly, one of the priorities that was identified by this Caucus or all the Members was decentralization. We are starting work in that direction. We are looking at doing inventories on what’s available in the communities. We are looking at it from a deputy minister level, to identify those programs and positions and divisions that could be considered for decentralization.

The smart grid as described sounds very exciting. This is something that we would very much want to investigate and explore. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is a priority of this government. We have taken initial steps in the 16th Assembly where we invested approximately $60 million over the lifetime of the 16th Assembly to that very end that the Member has raised. We are following all of the developments. We have looked at what Ontario has done. We looked at other jurisdictions. It is our intention to do so. Of course, our main concern is to make sure that we continue to provide energy and that we do it at reasonable rates. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, International Women's Day on March 8th is a global day of celebration to honour women's advancement towards equality in all areas of life.

In the Northwest Territories, the Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories celebrates International Women’s Day by hosting the Wise Women Awards and celebrating the winners with the Bread and Roses Luncheon in the Great Hall of our Assembly. This year is the 20th anniversary of the Wise Women Awards.

These women are role models in their communities and provide volunteer, counselling and caregiver service to others. The awards...

Mr. Speaker, we intend to continue to build on work that was started in the 16th Assembly, where we undertook a number of pilot projects and a number of new initiatives. As part of the 17th Assembly, we will continue to work. We will be looking to identify resources through the business planning process. We will want to continue to increase our use of alternative and renewable sources of energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.