Floyd Roland

No, this is all our own contributions, Government of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If the Members recall, in fact that budget item used to be significantly higher when we were much more active. Through our reduction scenarios, we turned in some of that money. That amount right now is for existing salaries and O and M of our existing staff that are in place. That’s why I stated that as we step up this work now and begin the work plan, the scheduling, looking at the resources, we’ll be able to tap into some of the money the federal government have signed onto under this agreement-in-principle, but we will have to additionally come back for additional...

As I said, through Executive I would have to come back to this House requesting additional funds through Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations through the regional leaders’ approach continue to use that as one of the tools. The other area is to get as much information out to the public, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, so that as they become more familiar with this they will be able to ask the same questions that are being asked of us to a certain degree and be in a better position to respond in some cases when they’re asked what their position is if their leadership...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The non-government sector, we do have a difference of definitions, obviously. Clearly the non-government sector as we look at it, and that’s where you look at the multi-year funding aspect as contracting services by the Government of the Northwest Territories to these organizations. I would say in fact the Executive is already playing that role. When you look at the multi-year funding approach, that came through Cabinet. The work that we’re doing now on the Stabilization Fund, that’s come through Cabinet. As well, the NGO forum that’s put in place to pull the groups...

Our role as Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations is support to departments in ensuring that we meet our obligations. The role that we have within Executive will be, or the advice that we provide to Executive, and that’s where the budget and the work that we’ll initiate. For example, under development and mandates, as we go forward we would be involved to ensure that as those mandates are developed, that we are honouring our commitments of existing agreements and protecting those discussions that are ongoing right now. For example, some of the discussions that are ongoing there...

Since signing the agreement-in-principle I have had a discussion with a number of Ministers and the Prime Minister about working forward in a transition process of not being caught unaware as we have been in the past with some of the decisions made. In fact, the trespassing issue, I think much of that would end up being transferred to our area where we would be able to deal with the trespassing issue instead of trying to convince a federal department to deal with it. So that is one area that could be alleviated as we progress, probably more in the interim. As we begin to have those internal...

I guess clearly, for the record, because there’s been comments made by many since the signing and the idea of the signing to say that there’s been zero involvement. The facts speak for themselves. There has been involvement right from the Aboriginal Summit days through the hiring of consultants, lawyers, negotiators, through to even involvement in this last year by a number of the groups to either be at the table, to hear what’s being said and to make comments there or to be as a full participant at that table to do the work that’s necessary to get the right language in.

Going forward on a...

Mr. Chairman, when you look at the work that we have done on regional Aboriginal leadership meetings, when you look at the work done by previous governments around the Intergovernmental Forum, the Aboriginal Summit, those are the areas where we begin to build that foundation. In the life of this government, as I highlighted in my statement, there were 10 meetings we had. I would say that to judge the success of an initiative that is trying to undo decades of what some would say wrongdoing has been passed on from the federal government to past territorial governments in a matter of one stroke...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To my left is Penny Ballantyne, Cabinet secretary. To my right is Mr. David Stewart, ADM of Executive operations.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Earlier in Executive there is a devolution file that holds the resources. For example, hiring chief negotiators and assistant negotiators as well as supplementing some of our legal issues. Our role as Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations in the work, as the Member has highlighted, with our key role in many of the negotiations around the Northwest Territories is a key one. We have a committee of deputies that are involved in the devolution discussions and Ms. Sparling sits as part of that group and ensures that as we go through that work that, for example...