Mr. Speaker, there have been court cases across the country looking at the whole involvement of aboriginal people, governments, to ensure that consultation is more than just getting a notification to take part. Negotiations means you actually sit at a table like this and you basically negotiate back and forth. So I’d like to ask the Premier again, were the aboriginal groups at the physical table where these negotiations were being negotiated between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the federal government.

Mr. Chair, there’s something that was brought to my attention, is that there are products out there that you can recycle, reuse, in regard to different types of appliances. So I’m just wondering: Is that something that we’re looking at as the government by way of reusing a lot of these surfacing materials that can be recycled and reused than simply dumped into a landfill after you rip it off. What are we doing to look at the recycle availability of different products so that we don’t have to continue to reapply new products year after year and consider looking at the option of reusing a lot of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my previous history in the land claims process, before getting into politics, was with the Dene Metis claim and then also being involved in the regional land claims of the Gwich’in and the Sahtu. I also took part in one of the devolution negotiations back in 1995 in which we were all at the table, we had our own legal counsel, each group was basically represented around the table for negotiating a northern accord on behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories along with the Government of the Northwest Territories. Back then Mr. John Todd was the Minister of...

I just have a question in regard to the budget itself. It seems like we’re putting a lot of focus around chipseal, but I’m just wondering why have we not left that open ended in regard to surface materials and not stipulate chipseal. Chipseal limits you to a specific product. There are other products being produced such as cold asphalt. There are different types of concrete appliances being used. There are other countries in the world that are coming up with new ways of applying surface to different types of products that you mix. I’d just like to know why is it that we continue to stipulate...

Under the Northern Accord agreement it states:

Nothing in this agreement will abrogate or derogate from any of the provisions included in any aboriginal land claims settlements including the following subjects:

land use planning;

environmental impact screening and review;

land and water use permitting;

wildlife management and compensation;

surface rights;

subsurface rights;

benefit agreements;

creation and management of national and territorial parks and conservation areas;

resource revenue sharing.

For greater certainty, the oil and gas management are required in the establishment of pursuing this...

Again, like my colleague from Nahendeh, I had an opportunity to drive down here from the Mackenzie Delta along the Dempster. I mean, no fault to the road, it was pretty wet and pretty slippery. Again, I think it’s got to be expected from the roads that do have a clay base and we are seeing a real effect to those roads. I think we have to find either a new method of dealing with protecting the surface of our highways and reducing the overall operational costs and resurfacing costs to our highways year after year after year. I think we do have to look at the possibility of looking at some sort...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to my Member’s statement I noted that this process, yes, it has gone on for a while, but the whole intention of the devolution process came about because of the settlement of the Dene/Metis Land Claim in 1988, which spells out the provisions of the Northern Accord and how the Dene/Metis were going to be involved under the section of the Northern Accord, which is called the Aboriginal Rights section. In that section, Mr. Speaker, it clearly stipulates that the government has an obligation to ensure that those parameters of the land claim agreements are upheld.

S...

Maybe the Minister could elaborate on the royalty side. Are the royalties for access for gravel, or what’s the royalties for? What are you paying royalties for?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, have some issues in regard to the devolution process which has been reached between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the federal government with no involvement of the Dene and Metis up the Mackenzie Valley.

Mr. Speaker, the Dene/Metis Comprehensive Claim was based on a 1988 agreement-in-principle, which was signed the same day as the devolution agreement was signed between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Government of Canada. In regard to having those two agreements signed on the same day was because the Dene/Metis were not able...

Maybe just a suggestion. I see $2 million on Highway No. 5. Maybe we could do Highway No. 7 to speed up the process.

My question is in regard to the Tuk resource gravel access road. I know I’ve been asking for the same type of arrangement for the Aklavik access road to their gravel source. There was a motion passed in this House supporting both projects, but again it seems like we are not as far ahead in regard to the Aklavik project as we were in regard to the Tuk project. So can the Minister give me an update on exactly where we are with the Aklavik gravel access road project and do we see...