Bob McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The purpose of the summit is to seek input into the writing of the NWT chapter of the Arctic Policy Framework. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Once again, I reiterate that the North Slave Metis Alliance filed their statement of claim to the federal government yesterday. As well, the Government of the Northwest Territories has completed the preliminary assessment of the North Slave Metis Alliance asserting Aboriginal rights claims and is in the process of disclosing these findings to the North Slave Metis Alliance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to advise the Member that yesterday the North Slave Metis Alliance filed their statement of claim to the Government of Canada. It is our government's position that all Indigenous Aboriginal peoples of the Northwest Territories should have their Aboriginal and treaty rights clarified and confirmed in modern agreements.

We would be pleased to discuss it with committees certainly, if it is appropriate. I am just wondering. Our experience has been that sometimes it affects the input from people who are there, but certainly, I have no problem with it. We should at least have a discussion on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have yet to confirm the date and location. Because of the fact that we are working to a timeline set by the federal government, the most recent timeline that we know we are working towards is they are looking for a draft by July of 2018. I expect within the next couple of months, somewhere in there, would give us enough time to organize. I would expect probably within the next couple of months.

It would be premature for me to disclose the findings before we disclose them to the North Slave Metis Alliance, but we are certainly, as I said, supportive of all Aboriginal groups having their rights clarified. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the red alert was about standing up for northern priorities and making the point that Northerners need to be making their decisions about what happens in the North. Also, it points out that, if the Government of Canada shuts down an economic sector in the Northwest Territories, for example, there should be an accompanying economic strategy.

As you recall, when the fishing industry was shut down in Newfoundland, there was a $9 billion compensation package that was announced at the same time as the moratorium. People throughout the Northwest Territories want...

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment to support the Intergovernmental Council towards implementation of the vision of cooperative and collaborative management of lands and resources, as set out in the Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement. I am pleased to report that the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Intergovernmental Council on Land and Resource Management took place on Friday, December 15, 2017, here in Yellowknife.

The Intergovernmental Council, or IGC, was created as part of the devolution process and provides the opportunities for member...

For clarification, the Government of Canada announced that the Beaufort Sea was indefinitely off-limits to new offshore oil and gas licences, to be tested every five years by a science-based review. We have received very little information on how the science-based review will be undertaken, other than the Prime Minister has written to us and advised that Minister Bennett and Ministers Carr will be leading the review.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories has a very strong working relationship with the Inuvialuit government. We have already received submissions and information from the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation related to the Arctic Policy Framework. Many of the priorities of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Government of the Northwest Territories align, specifically with what the Member shared with us today. The Government of the Northwest Territories shares the Inuit Circumpolar Council's interest in sustainable economic development in northern communities...