When you look at what we do as the Government of the Northwest Territories, we’re committed to a number of things: World Wildlife Fund, other groups from outside the territory. They may do some work in the territory, but they originate outside the territory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On May 28, 29 and 30 I attended the 2008 Western Premiers’ Conference in Prince Albert Saskatchewan. As I stated in my Budget Address, I intended to focus my attention on delivering the message of our territory and our people to those that need to hear it. The Northwest Territories had the full attention of western Premiers and succeeded in getting their support for issues important to us.

The Premiers from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut and the NWT, along with the Deputy Premier from the Yukon, talked about the strength of the western economy...

We are a part of that. The Premier of British Columbia, Mr. Campbell, has initiated that work. It started off in January with the conference on climate change. Again, other jurisdictions are working with their leaders and coming up with initiatives and sharing some of the work that’s been done. For ourselves, from a territorial point of view working with other northern Premiers, coming up with our piece of that work, we are plugged into that process.

Past numbers have been put out there; for example, dollar figures in the area of $224 million a year that flow to Ottawa in the form of royalties. Now the federal government says the Norman Wells situation has to be excluded from that. We look at the last public accounts that were filed with the federal government, and the most recent figure that we’ve seen from the other mining industries has shown that it’s been in the neighbourhood of $34 million. You take a look at the equalization program that has formulated along with the territorial formula financing, and the inclusion and exclusion —...

We’ve had a number of discussions, both with the federal government as well as with the regional aboriginal leadership, around the issue of devolution and resource revenue sharing. I’ve had an opportunity to speak with the Prime Minister on this issue, as well as with Minister Strahl, regarding devolution and resource revenue sharing. We continue to have some discussions and try to see where we may be able to move this file.

Under the existing scenario it would fluctuate year to year, depending on what the industry in the North pays to the federal government. It did at one point — I believe it was 2003–2004 numbers — and then we combined it with the mining, oil and gas development in the North, along with Norman Wells, and we came up with a figure of approximately $224 million.

Estimates have been made. For example, if the Mackenzie gas pipeline falls in place, that could almost double or even go larger, depending on the royalty rate that’s put in place. But we know, for example, that royalties aren’t paid until...

The first position we came forward with was one to see where we were as the Government of the Northwest Territories, have an initial meeting with the regional aboriginal leadership and see if there was continued support from the groups on moving forward with this file. In the last government there was a proposal sent forward to the government. We had that discussion. We know the same groups continue to be on side. Others say they’ve got other initiatives to proceed with before they want to see this file moved along. So we’ve had that discussion.

From our perspective, as Members know, we’re...

Mr. Speaker, it gives me pleasure to recognize somebody who’s travelled down from Inuvik, Mr. Norm Snowshoe, as well as my executive assistant, Bobby-Jo Greenland.

Mr. Speaker, when we sat down as Members of the 16th Legislative Assembly, just after territorial elections, we’d heard from people of the territory; they wanted to see things done differently. They wanted to see us continue to reinvest, as well as take control of where we were going. We’ve heard things almost from the day of the announcement that reductions needed to be done and that we would be focusing on reinvestments. That’s been the message from day one: We need to cap or manage our growth and look at the reinvestments. Those reinvestments, Members were aware, would have to come from the...

I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 8, Appropriation Act, 2008–2009 be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.