David Krutko

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 133-16(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates, 2011-2012, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Also, one of the items in the letter was the whole area of decentralizing government and the concern that they are raising is that it seems all the populated centres are the ones where all the policy analysts are, people that control those decision-making decisions and making them, knowing that those decisions are having effects on Aboriginal people and their traditional lands. I think it’s important to realize that decentralization is one of the issues that also was addressed in those suggestions and yet that’s not being discussed. I’d just like to propose, Mr. Speaker...

Thank you, Ms. Lee. At this time I would like to ask the Minister if you will be bringing in witnesses.

Again, we ask for input from Aboriginal organizations. They put it in writing, they forward it to the government, we develop a protocol agreement, we have the Aboriginal governments assuming that they were going to have a say in the agreement-in-principle in regard to devolution. Again, that whole process collapsed on itself and I find it kind of odd. Is that a government stalling tactic to not allow the Aboriginal groups to be at the main table during this negotiation and eliminate them from having a real say at the negotiating table?

Thank you. General comments. Maybe I will just ask the Minister again if he would like to respond to general comments that were just given.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to talk about the devolution process and the lack of coordination, consultation and respect that our Aboriginal leadership should get from a government-to-government relationship.

The Gwich’in Tribal Council submitted a letter dated April 19th last year to the government on issues that they felt had to be discussed prior to a devolution agreement-in-principle going forward. The agreement was signed, as we know, last September, with no consultation and now I’ve received a letter from the Premier to Mr. Nerysoo, some seven months after they received the...

General comments. Mr. Hawkins.

Before we go, I’d just like some direction. I know there were a bunch of questions or general comments made yesterday. I wonder if the Minister wants to respond to them now or wait for the other general comments.

We will deal with Tabled Document 133-16(5). General comments. Mr. Abernethy.

I would like to call the Committee of the Whole to order. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 75, 103, 133; Bill 4, Minister’s Statement 65-16(5) and Minister’s Statement 88-16(5). What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.