Mr. Speaker, the Dehcho First Nations are looking for that kind of action by our government to stand behind them on this one particular issue. It is a win-win situation, because all the stakeholders are looking for this type of action by our government. What can the Premier do? What other actions can he take in order to get the federal government to change their Order-in-Council? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement asking the honourable Premier and in his capacity as well as Aboriginal Affairs Minister. The Dehcho First Nations are really quite upset about the Order-in-Council by the federal government. I would like to ask at what stage was our government involved or notified of the decision to remove the subsurface rights aspect of the protection of the Edhezhie area, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, all stakeholders in the NWT are befuddled by Ottawa’s decision, so this is a win-win situation wherein our government has nothing to lose by backing the Dehcho First Nations on the issue of Edhezhie.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the Premier and our Cabinet demand that Canada alter the Order-in-Council to include subsurface protection in the proposed Edhezhie protected area. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, Canada has terminated the protection of the ecologically sensitive Edhezhie/Horn Plateau area. Those lands had protection from development since 2002 under an interim agreement between Canada, the Dehcho First Nations and other partners. That agreement is a critical step in the Dehcho First Nations’ negotiations towards resolving the Dehcho land claim.

The Dehcho lands have been blessed by great national resources and the Dehcho First Nations would like to see them preserved as long as the grass grows and the water runs. They work long and hard on the Dehcho...

I move that this committee recommends that the Minister responsible for Official Languages provides support to the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board and the Official Languages Board or any future languages boards or committees in regard to their roles and responsibilities and in dealing with issues internal to the board, such as attendance and quorum.

I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment reports on performance indicators supporting the major categories such as education council, ethnicity and gender, with a recognition that it may sometimes be necessary to aggregate data to protect the privacy of individual students.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Government Operations presented its Report on the Review of the 2008-2009 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner of the Northwest Territories to this House on Monday, November 1, 2010, and read it into the record. It contains five recommendations and if there are any general comments from Members, we can hear them now; otherwise, I would propose to move the following.

I move that this committee recommends that the planned evaluation of the Early Childhood Development Program includes a review of both strengths and weaknesses of the program outcomes; and further, that the evaluation also identifies performance indicators and a means to collect baseline information on children as they enter kindergarten; furthermore, that this information be used for ongoing monitoring and reporting to support and provide direction for the Early Childhood Development Program.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As well, the Minister spoke about enhanced services and enhanced equipment. I know that those are just new to the Dehcho Health and Social Services, new to Fort Liard and new to Fort Simpson. What would be a good time period for her to assess how well the new equipment is working and helping with the services in the communities and regions? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee on Government Operations presented its Report on the Review of the Report of the Auditor General on Education in the Northwest Territories to the House on Monday, November 1, 2010, and read it into the record. It contains seven recommendations. If there are any general comments from Members, we can hear them now; otherwise, I would propose to move the following.