Louis Sebert

I guess to add to that, I am looking at some of the other things we are doing. You have heard already that we are going to continue to build an inventory tracking system to address the handling and processing of securities, and the system design and testing will be completed in the 2017-2018 fiscal year and go live the following year. We are also considering securities in our current land, water and resource legislative initiatives, which includes amendments to the Commissioner's Land Act and Northwest Territories Lands Act. We are making progress, though, admittedly, not as quickly as we...

I'm going to ask Ms. Hilderman to assist with the response to that question. Thank you.

Well, there are several different departments involved in this. Of course, I have mentioned MACA. Taxation, of course, taxation amounts are pursued by the Department of Finance. I do not know if Mr. Hagen wants to add anything to this. We do realize this is a complex issue that we would all want resolved by the settlement of land claims. Thank you.

I'm not sure which date the Member might be referring to. Is he referring to a consultation prior to the promise being made in the early 1990s or prior to properties actually being transferred? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Some lands that are, say, suitable for grazing are leased at $0.25 a hectare or $50 per annum, whichever is greater. Beyond that, generally, Commissioner's land that is used for agricultural purposes is leased at 5 per cent of the assessed value, which is, well, currently 50 per cent of the standard lease rate for other commercial properties, so there is an incentive and very reasonable cost to lease land. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Perhaps I could defer that question to Ms. Hilderman.

Yes. I cannot speak to deferred designations. I am not certain if that would be part of what this department does. I do not think so. I do realize that the taxation of cabins is a difficult issue, of course. In those areas with settled land claims, it is not a problem anymore; that has been resolved, or on treaty land. I realize there is an awful lot of land in the unsettled areas that is outside those two situations. I do know that we are attempting to, of course, resolve the land claims in those unsettled areas, which would hopefully resolve this thorny problem, which I do realize is an...

Yes, I suppose we could change the policy, but the policy was put in place in anticipation of the settlement of land claims which, of course, has taken far longer than anticipated. Even if the policy was not in place, it seems to me we would likely have an obligation to consult those Aboriginal groups affected. Thank you.

Perhaps Mr. Hagen can answer that.

Yes, I do.