Kevin A. Menicoche

I encourage my respective colleagues in this Assembly and all residents of the NWT to consider the opportunities devolution provides. Within my own constituency of Nahendeh, I encourage the Dehcho First Nations to carefully consider the merits of devolution. Devolution offers an important opportunity for the public government and Aboriginal governments to work more closely in land and resource management. Devolution also means that important decisions around land and resources will be made closer to home with the priorities of the people of the NWT in mind.

Devolution will also provide resource...

Mr. Chair, I move we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The committee wishes to review Tabled Document 43-17(4), Tabled Document 44-17(4), Tabled Document 45-17(4) and Tabled Document 51-17(4).

How long would our government consult or work with the unsettled claimant areas like the Dehcho and Akaitcho to have them be part of the devolution of the lands and resources to the Northwest Territories?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Much has been said about devolution today, including my Member’s statement on the protection of Aboriginal rights. I’d like to ask the Premier and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, as well, about devolution and their definition of Aboriginal rights as it applies to the Devolution Agreement. My constituents include the Dehcho First Nations, which has an unsettled claim. Maybe from that perspective to see how their rights will be protected in this devolution deal just for the public’s digestion, as it were.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As my respected colleagues on this side of the Assembly know, the job of MLA is not an easy one. We are not like Official Opposition down south. We don’t oppose the government just for the sake of opposing. We, in fact, elected this government. Our job is to represent the interests of our constituents and to build consensus in this Assembly, and this is what I try to do.

Today I would like to give credit where credit is due. On Monday we celebrated a progress that has been made on finalizing the Devolution Agreement. Congratulations to our Premier, the...

Madam Chair, I move that consideration of Tabled Document 50-17(4), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2013-2014, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 50-17(4) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Madam Chair.

---Carried

I move that consideration of Tabled Document 49-17(4), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2012-2013, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 49-17(4) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I was pleased to see the signing of the devolution deal today. I know that over time we’ve always said as our government moves forward that we’ll have more money for our government, but I just want to speak about the things that we do today about flying to the smaller communities. We’re still having lots of different departments, for example, a community like Trout Lake will have three airplanes come in to the community, and we’ve spoken many times in this Assembly about coordinating those visits, even, indeed, with the federal government. It’s about...

Thank you, Madam Chair, I move that we report progress.

---Carried