Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier because this is a very sensitive issue to all of the people involved. It is very complex. Mr. Speaker, I understand that the federal government negotiator doesn’t yet have the mandate in terms of devolution. He only has the mandate for programs and services, and Finance Canada has the mandate to negotiate the net fiscal benefits such as resource revenue sharing. I would really like to see any type of movement that the Premier can give our federal MP some leverage or some coaxing to Finance Canada to sit down with us. I would like to ask the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Premier of Northwest Territories. In researching and looking at some of the past Hansards with regard to resource revenue sharing, in light of the complexity of dealing with revenue resource sharing and the issues that are on the table, can the Premier tell me when can we, as the Northwest Territories, as a northern aboriginal people, get our act together, go down to Ottawa and sit down once and for all and ask them what are the clear rules and guidelines of getting a deal done? We have been dealing with this a long time. The...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, honourable colleagues. It is no secret, Mr. Speaker, I want to see the Mackenzie Valley pipeline happen. I am happy for the Tlicho and the Akaitcho people for having diamonds on their land. Mr. Speaker, I have to wonder sometimes if these resource development projects go ahead and we do not have a royalty sharing deal, who will really benefit and is it worth it.

Do the honourable thing, Mr. Premier, and put the Crown on notice that the stakes are high in the Northwest Territories and we want a share, a fair share of those stakes. Mr. Speaker, resource...

How long are we going to allow this to happen, to continue?

Mr. Speaker, it is a critical time for our precious territory. We have big problems on the radar screen, a pipeline, more diamond mines, and who knows what next. But we only have one chance to get it right, or before we know it our resources will be gone for good. Our land will be scarred, and all the royalties will be in Ottawa, paying for gun registries and sponsorship scandals, while we beg for a few dollars to teach our children…

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I throw my full support behind this motion and second it, due to the injustice that I see that’s going on by the federal government and the struggles that we have as a territorial government in terms of providing adequate -- like any other Canadians -- basic, simple programming services. We could pay for it. We could do it. There are lots of people who have opinions that support that this government can sustain itself with the amount of dollars that have been coming out of the Northwest Territories over the years and the kinds of infrastructures that we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Premier. I understand, reading through the Hansards of previous sittings here, that the federal government really was not too sure of or may have a problem with sitting with the aboriginal organizations or aboriginal governments in terms of negotiating resource revenue sharing or devolution. Has the federal government changed its views on that? I understand they just want to deal with the GNWT. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Premier. This issue is burning. It needs to get done. It is like we are negotiating. For example, if we were to negotiate a highway to the Sahtu, why negotiate a highway to Sahtu if we don’t have the money to pay for it? Things like this really bug me as a Member here. To see the amount of wealth that is coming out of this Northwest Territories and is going to Ottawa, we can see the amount of dollars that is coming back to us. Our aboriginal communities are also saying we need these programs and services. Again, Mr. Speaker, I will ask the Premier...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize the great goaltender from Deline, Danny Gaudet, and the community’s good negotiator for self-government. Welcome, Danny.

---Applause

…heal our cuts and look after our elders. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, people in Tulita, with regard to the mound there that’s close to the airport, have a lot of emotions associated because of the high rate of cancer in the region here. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister report back within a month that he has met with the federal agencies and that he will table letters in the House indicating that this has been done, including the response from the federal government at the earliest possibility? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.