Floyd Roland

Even the Member said he’s not sure, so I think this work will help us to be sure of the next steps we need to take. In fact, if the Member went through Hansard he would know in some responses I’ve made already around the Power Corporation if there’s been other proposals. When I met with the regional aboriginal leaders I said, here’s an opportunity. If you want to put in a proposal we’re open to looking at that. The opportunity is there and we’re trying to create that environment so that we do have the best opportunity before us of supplying clean energy, cheap energy, and it makes living...

The process we’re involved in exists within the framework we operate under. The NWT Act, our relationship with the federal government, this would not establish, it’s not the work of a constitutional process. It is within the existing framework that we have. If we’re going to enter into that area I think we do, as Members have stated, need to get to the table, have a discussion, work with the aboriginal leadership across the North, and see if we can come forward with a common process and understanding and who would take part, to what level, where the funds would come from, so on and so forth...

Mr. Speaker, the fact that the issue over the cost of living has been raised right from the start of this government, that we need to do something. We need to try to find ways to stabilize the cost of living in the Northwest Territories and lower it if at all possible, the theme day here, the Association of Communities making recommendations to this Assembly and to the Minister responsible to have a look at this. This is not just a fly-by-night look at something. This issue is a real one that we have to look at. It so happens that this initiative has come forward and we want to take a serious...

As I said earlier, before any decision is made, before any discussion happens we’ll have to sit down as Members. I absolutely agree, this would be a good Caucus discussion item.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said earlier, I committed to the president that I would have the appropriate paperwork and the process clearly put together so that we all have the same paper in front of us and go through that process together. There are existing agreements in place. The MOU is in place and was extended I believe and renegotiation has been committed to. The fact of the $100 million contract school was debated here in this Assembly with the infrastructure budget put in place and I believe information on the contract list was provided to members. If not, I will request that the Minister...

The fact that this issue was raised at the Dene leadership meeting, so in responding to the aboriginal leaders across the North about this issue we haven’t had a discussion. There is no position right now. There is some discussion about trying to get into a process and we’ll need to come and sit down with Members to discuss if there’s such a process we would engage in, to what level we would engage in, and how we would try to find partners; for example, the federal government would be key to this and what the First Nations would bring to the table as well. There is no paper in place. This is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was a part of that meeting as well, as the Member has pointed out. Though there are some differences on some of the contracts that are being looked at and the projects that are in place, this government is not, for the record, undermining aboriginal rights and the processes that have been there. We have worked hard to come up with all the pieces. In fact, if you look at the implementation side of it, as I am aware, my last update is that there are no outstanding issues on the implementation side of the land claim. Self-government process is underway. That will...

We haven’t had any discussions around constitutional development. The areas we have had discussions on is devolution and resource revenue sharing and getting their support for those initiatives that we’ve put on the table. That work continues, but we’ve not entered into the field of constitution development.

I guess clearly the 3P process or work that’s beginning is separate from an initiative like this. We’re looking at a partnership potentially that could help us. As well, I’ve said to other groups out there, for example the regional leadership, if they want to put a proposal in, we’d be prepared to look at it. We don’t know the levels of partnership that would be involved. But at this time, as I’ve committed to Members and said a number of times, the initial review of the proposal that was brought forward I’ll get a response, I will go back to Cabinet and then committee before any further...

There hasn’t been any time lines or discussion papers put in place. It has been a number of discussions at this point. I’d be prepared to get the material and the work that’s been done before and sit down with committee to go through what has been done and should we look at the opportunity. It depends on, for example, I understand the Dene leadership will do a motion on the subject, is my understanding. It depends on the results of that and the wishes of this Assembly as well.