Michael Miltenberger

What I can indicate to the Member is that over the last number of months we have been working diligently on a P3 policy for the government. That policy has been to committee. We’ve had extensive feedback. We’ve put more work into it. Now we have what we think is a workable P3 policy which we will be bringing forward that will provide clarity and a clear way forward if we’re going to engage in any type of P3 consideration, how we do it, and who we do it with, and the steps and checks and balances that must be there. Once again based in large part by the feedback from the committees and from the...

My understanding is that it’s for the two Aboriginal partners that have signed the agreement to carry on the work to move us forward and that there will be funds. If further partners sign on, then we’ll carry on with the funding, and if we need more, then that request would be made. Thank you.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has a position that is clear. We support the current structures. We have recommended against any changes. We are of the opinion that we are better served by the structure that is here, properly funded with proper policy clarity and adequate funding to represent our interests. The biggest point being we don’t want any major upheaval since we are now in the process of taking over those authorities. If there are changes that need to be made, then Northerners will make those changes collectively after we take over those responsibilities. It’s not...

We’ll be working, of course, closely as a government to try to make sure we control our expenditures. If that point occurs, then we will be working, of course, very closely with committee and Members to try to manage and identify what the particular cost pressures are and what steps have to be taken to try to resolve them. One of the reasons we have engaged in this passive restraint process over the last number of months is to try to as well make sure that we have the maximum amount of cushion available over the next year to give us some flexibility should some of these unanticipated or...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is for those parties that are signed on for the AIP.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a very fundamental political issue. The reality is that Northerners should be making those decisions, that if we had the authority over land, water, and resource development, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.

This is a federal initiative and it’s one where what has been portrayed is that there is a need to reform the processes in the Northwest Territories.

It’s our opinion that the system we have is fundamentally sound, that the gaps and delays that happen occur when decisions have been made in the North and go to Ottawa. We do not even have, at this late...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Member has made some very harsh, inflammatory comments, highly critical of the Premier and myself, and highly critical of the institution that he has served in for the last 16 years. He’s made some inaccurate depictions of what is on the table. Land claims have been settled and have been honoured, maybe not as well as could be, but we are talking about public lands, we are talking about resources that we’re currently not getting at a time, as I just demonstrated when I did the fiscal update, that we are under some significant fiscal constraints and we do not have...

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. We have the benefit of a stable Cabinet here. We’ve been dealing with the Conservative government now for the last five years. In many cases there’s been relationships developed among the various Ministers at the federal and territorial level. As we move forward, we do have to look at how do we nurture that relationship. How do we, as has already been stated, better work with our Member of Parliament? Another issue for this Legislature to consider is the role that we have in Ottawa, the presence that we have or should have in Ottawa, is that adequate? And if we are going to be...

This is a fair process. This is inclusive. It’s going to finally give us as Northerners the same rights now shared by about 99.5 percent of the Canadian population. We’re no longer going to be second class where we have to rely on a distant government to make key critical decisions about our life, our water, the land, and the resource development and how we want to move forward as a territory. To me, that is a fundamental improvement that is long overdue.

There’s money in the budget to continue to engage with those signatories that have not yet come to the table of the Aboriginal governments...