Thank you very much for that response. Just on the negotiating tables that are active today, has there been a change, or are we still chugging along with roughly the same number? I don’t know if that information is public. Thank you.
We are currently with the same number, 15 negotiation processes underway. Some are more active than others. That’s something that we have to manage, but it is still 15.
Thank you for that information. Taking over lands, I imagine, and informing about lands, will be the Department of Lands. The Premier, again, has said the increase in budget here is due to our role of this department in meeting lands negotiations. I see there’s one additional person in this budget for this division. Is that the lands person? Is that where our expense is there? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is correct; it is a land negotiator position. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Mr. Bromley.
I’ll leave it at that. Obviously, the increase is more than a PY, but perhaps we will get the details as we go. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. There is no question there. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I had the same question as Mr. Bromley and I’m really glad to hear it is clarified. When I heard the Premier make the remarks, it sounded as though we were taking over negotiations with Aboriginal governments for agreements and I’m glad to hear that that is not changed. I think that would be something which would be not very well thought of.
I did want to ask with regards to negotiations. Last year at one point, I think when we discussed the budget, there was concern expressed by both the department and by Members that the federal government’s Fiscal Harmonization Initiative was going to create some difficulties for us in that we would probably end up with inadequate funding in order to implement agreements, land claims and self-government agreements that had been negotiated by the federal government with Aboriginal governments. I would like to know if that concern still exists. Is it something which we have, at this point, run into it in fact, or is it still something that we’re concerned about down the road when agreements are in place and the federal government refuses to fund them adequately? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is still a concern. We have done modelling in the past to reinforce the fact that the negotiations would probably result in a shortfall in funding in the neighbourhood of about $32 million a year, if you took all of the 15 negotiations that are going on and currently making some basic assumptions. We have brought this to the Aboriginal governments’ attention that have been negotiating. We have raised it with the Government of Canada and we have had processes on a regular basis to try to find ways to deal with the problem or the issue, and there are obviously different perspectives of what self-government and how that works amongst different governments. But through you I’ll ask Mr. Goldney to go through the more recent happenings. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Deputy Minister Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. While this certainly still remains a live issue as self-government negotiations are underway and, as the Premier mentioned, we certainly support Aboriginal governments in advocating for funding arrangements that make sense and will enable the vision of Aboriginal governments to be fully implemented, that still remains our objective and our goal. Much of course depends on our federal negotiating partner, who is currently undertaking a fiscal harmonization review and policy approach. We don’t have the final results of that review, but we are very, very mindful of that and still, of course, advocate quite strongly that whatever is negotiated should be capable of being implemented properly.
Thank you, Mr. Goldney. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That’s good. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions. First and foremost is the sense of optimism that seems to be leading the talks in terms of the bilateral discussions with the groups that haven’t come aboard on the Devolution Agreement. Particularly for the Dehcho First Nations there seems to be hope that perhaps there could be an agreement within sight. I’d like to ask the Minister for an update as to the progress of those talks. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I’ve indicated before, the Dehcho First Nation, the grand chief and I have had some discussions in the past about how we could try to find a way forward. We agreed on a terms of reference for a small group of senior officials to get together and without prejudice, and to look at how we could find a way forward on some very difficult and complex land issues. I think that it appears, from all accounts, the outcome appears to have found a way. It’s now going through a process with the Dehcho First Nations. I understand the grand chief has gone on the road to all his different communities. Our government, we’re running it through our due diligence process. I guess at some point if there’s agreement we’ll bring it forward to our different parties, but I’ll ask Mr. Goldney to tell us where we are right at this moment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Deputy Minister Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m happy to report that those discussions did bear some fruit and that there is a draft bridging document that might help address some of the complicated land issues in the Dehcho Process. So each party to those discussions, the Dehcho and the GNWT, have been reviewing that internally and taking it to their respective stakeholders and getting feedback. We do hope that the results are largely positive on that and what the negotiators have been able to put to paper, find endorsement and support in our respective systems. Assuming that’s the case, it will be brought forward to the Dehcho table.
Thank you, Mr. Goldney. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Premier and the deputy minister for giving me an update.
One of the very fundamental issues that has been perhaps the fundamental stumbling block is in terms of the land quantum of the Dehcho First Nations. Most recently some issue was taken in terms of interpretation of how it is that this government is dealing with the main table discussions and more particularly so in terms of the 45 percent ratio of whether indeed at the end of the day the land claims process that will be at least the disposition of land or lands that remain as 45 percent open for the public access. That came to, as I understand, a matter of interpretation and became an issue for both sides, and I just wanted to know if that’s been resolved and whether that still remains outstanding, or has that been resolved.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Premier.
We agreed to go through this bilateral process and there are a number of key markers for the Dehcho First Nation. Obviously, this 45 percent is still a big issue for them. On our part, we would like to see some movement on the devolution side, and I think that we will let the process run its course and I expect that if there is support from both parties that these matters will be dealt with.
My final question is there is a critical component to this process and that is the Dehcho Land Use Planning Process. I know the GNWT has been involved with it, the Dehcho First Nation, but for some time there was an absent member from the federal side. How is the GNWT helping out to ensure that the federal government remain at least, or appoint a member on the Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee?
I think, as a government, we see land use plans as the way of the future and we are certainly supportive and we would like to get the land use planning process in the Dehcho moving forward. On every occasion I have asked the federal minister to appoint a federal member to the land use planning process and also to identify a Minister’s special representative to that negotiating process, and also I have facilitated, whenever it was possible, for the Minister and the grand chief to get together, although obviously, the grand chief has been able to make his own arrangements with the federal Minister, but wherever we can help facilitate, we have endeavoured to do so.
I just wanted to at least get a sense of… I know there have been some challenges in moving the negotiations forward, and I think there seems to be an interest in terms of trying to ensure that all parties remain committed to moving the process along. I wanted to come to an understanding if is there is a specific timeline, as to I know there have been discussions of an agreement-in-principle. Recently, the Dehcho First Nations leadership met in Fort Providence. Of course, their annual assembly is going to happen this summer. I’m trying to get at least a sense from this government to see, from their perspective, at least to give an indication of a timeline as to whether a final agreement is in sight, or is right now the concentration or the efforts on the agreement-in-principle?
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We don’t have a fixed timeline for those negotiations but we are optimistic. We continue to put effort into those negotiations and there are some pretty fundamental issues that remain, and that’s probably the reason why we’re hopeful and optimistic around the bilateral discussions potentially offering some solutions to some of the long-standing differences that have been presented at that table. Hopefully that provides a bit of a break in a log-jam. But notwithstanding that, we have still continued to negotiate through the Dehcho Process and have made some progress on some of the other issues, so we are encouraged by that as well. In fact, Dehcho negotiations are underway this week.
Much depends on how quickly we can bridge some of those big, fundamental differences. If we can find a way through some of those, we might see very rapid progress towards an agreement-in-principle, but unfortunately, I can’t give a timeline.
Thank you, Mr. Goldney. Activity summary, negotiations, operations expenditure summary, $2.640 million. Agreed?
Agreed.
Information item, negotiations, active positions. Are there any questions? Ms. Bisaro.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just am wondering, on the 2013-2014 numbers, how 18, 18, 18 becomes 19 at the bottom in the left-hand column.
Mr. Premier.
Thank you. There appears to be a printing error, so we’ll advise the printers. Thank you.
Any questions? Is committee agreed?
Agreed.
Activity summary, implementation, operations expenditures, $706,000. Agreed to that, too?
Agreed.
Page 4-22, information item, implementation, active positions. Any questions?
Agreed.
Page 4-25, activity summary, intergovernmental relations, operations expenditure summary, $1.707 million. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to pick up here where I started earlier on the questions with respect to the Intergovernmental Council on Land and Resource Management. The Minister indicated that the department will be coordinating the activities of this structure, and it notes here that the division will be providing support to this structure. This is still a somewhat obscure structure for Members, certainly for myself and members of the public, that needs to be developed. I am wondering if I can find out what will be the role of this new structure. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The role of the new structure really is another intergovernmental forum where Aboriginal governments and the public government that have land management responsibilities can meet at least once a year and have those very important discussions about how we are undertaking our land and resource management responsibilities. We do very much see this as an opportunity to work with our Aboriginal government partners, find ways to harmonize our approaches towards land and resource management, and make things more effective and efficient for all. It is also an opportunity for areas for potential capacity building and capacity sharing to be explored.
The way that we imagine this working, and plan for this to be working, is very much similar to our other intergovernmental forums, where you have elected leaders and representatives from the Government of the Northwest Territories and their counterparts in Aboriginal governments having those discussions. There is the potential for working groups to be established as a result of those discussions and specific projects to be advanced. This really is an intergovernmental forum and an intergovernmental council. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Can I have the report of Committee of the Whole, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 22-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2014-2015, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Do I have a seconder? Mr. Beaulieu.
---Carried
