Joe Handley

Mr. Chairman, that would be federal money. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I don’t have a number for how much the federal government would provide to the Inuvialuit, the Gwich’in and the Sahtu directly themselves, but what I have only is the amount of money that they flow through us, which is the $313,000. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No, I think the committee is right and we are looking at that and, in fact, there are sections -- I think the main one is the policy and communication section -- where we may be able to integrate those responsibilities between IGRASP and MAA into one section, even before we get into the business plans for the next fiscal year, 2006-07.

Where we can, we will begin, but, Mr. Chairman, the committee’s recommendation is fair and one that we respect. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me say, first of all, that we do respect the Deh Cho process and the right of the Deh Cho people to negotiate the process that is underway right now. Our approach to this has been to be helpful and, at the same time, not be blocking anything that may be standing in the way.

At the same time, Mr. Chairman, while we want to be supportive of the Deh Cho, we also have to ensure we carry out our government responsibilities for all other regions in the Territories and other settled claims and other negotiations. We are continually needing to balance our activities and...

Mr. Chairman, we could in future take a look at doing it through Executive and have it as a standing part of our budget each year. The original contribution at one time was originally made out of RWED and then it was decided that wasn’t appropriate, that all departments should contribute to this cause. Many of the people who are selected from the Northwest Territories come from different areas. Sometimes they are long-time elders who have contributed that way. Sometimes it is people who have contributed with sports and so on. The best way is just to have it coordinated through the Executive...

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, the $420,000 is up from $370,000. That’s a whole number of items. Contract services include our auto, office space lease, the Northern Strategy development, $125,000; Bear Facts newsletter, $22,000; NewsLine services, $24,000; trademarks and copyrights, $30,000; ethics counsellor, $30,000; equipment leases, $30,000; recycling and waste paper management, $9,000; and, miscellaneous as needed and when needed services, $88,000. Mr. Chairman, the $50,000 difference is made up from a number of small increases in all a variety of contractor services we do. I don’t have the specific one...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree that the elders have to have an opportunity for input into it and I hope each of us as MLAs do make a point of talking with the seniors, with the elders within our constituencies. That’s one way of doing it. Now, Mr. Speaker, I’m certainly open to considering any kind of proposals that Members may have, the public may have, and seniors themselves may have in terms of how they may be involved. In saying that though, we have to keep in mind the costs of doing it and make sure that we’re doing it in a way not just for seniors, but for everybody’s input in a way...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The communications is one of those tasks that has sort of a never-ending potential, never-ending shortfalls. No matter how much we do, there’s always some that we miss somehow. We just don’t quite get to doing it all. In light of the restraint that was exercised when we developed this business plan and this budget, we maintained ourselves with just the three positions in corporate communications and protocol. There is the director of that section or assistant secretary responsible for communications protocol, one communications specialist and a protocol officer who...

I, too, on behalf of myself personally, my family, the people of Weledeh and the people of the Northwest Territories, want to express my condolences to the families and colleagues across Canada to the officers who were killed on duty. I want, Mr. Speaker, though to go beyond that and make a statement on something because I think it is important. These officers want us to carry on with the good things that go on in this world and make it a better place to live and to be.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this occasion to switch a little bit here and say that I want to wish a person a happy birthday...