Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome Members back to the House. I look forward to working with all of you during this last budget session of the 16th Legislative Assembly.
After decades of work it was my honour last Wednesday to sign the Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement-in-Principle on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories. This is an historic step in our development as a Territory, an agreement to move to the next stage of negotiations that will, in the end, give the people of the NWT the authority and control of our own public lands and resources so decisions about our Territory, our home, are made here by elected officials who are directly accountable to the people of the NWT.
This latest agreement-in-principle is a result of almost 10 years of work and negotiation between the GNWT, Canada and Aboriginal governments. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table a copy of the signed AIP.
History is never made quietly, and signing the devolution AIP was no exception. It would have been better to have all of the regional Aboriginal governments at the table, but in the end a decision had to be made to keep the negotiations going or to shut the process down.
I believe strongly that decisions about northern lands and resources can and should be made by our own residents. We should all embrace the opportunity to become the stewards of our own lands. I’m encouraged by those Aboriginal elders and leaders who remind us that we have to work together. I agree. I will be inviting Aboriginal leaders from across the NWT to re-engage with us in the coming weeks to determine their interest in finding a way forward together.
We now begin the next leg of our journey. As Premier I am committed to keeping the devolution process moving forward towards a final agreement. The AIP has provisions for the remaining Aboriginal governments to sign and join in the next phase of the process whenever they are ready.
At our table there is a place waiting for each of our Territory’s Aboriginal leaders. The Inuvialuit have already joined us and the Metis Nation will sign next week. I hope the remaining regional Aboriginal leaders will give serious consideration to returning to the negotiations and help us guide and influence this process as it moves forward. To these leaders I say: come and be a partner in building our future together. Help us realize true self-determination.
Now is the time to make sure we can continue to capitalize on all the work that we have done to date. I believe that in the end we share a common vision:
decision-making for the NWT, in the NWT, and by NWT people;
ensuring that northern development benefits Northerners;
a sustainable balance of development and environmental protection;
a fair share of resource revenues staying in the NWT, benefitting our residents, their governments and their Territory.
I believe that this AIP will help get us there.
Mr. Speaker, this AIP represents a significant step forward in terms of the vision, goals and priorities we set out for ourselves as an Assembly when we first met more than three years ago. At that time we said that one of our priorities was to achieve significant progress towards northern control over administration of lands and the regulatory system and resource revenues. With the signing of the AIP last week, this Assembly has moved closer to achieving the goal of a strong and independent North than ever before.
More than this, real progress towards northern control over public lands and resources also moves us closer towards achieving the other goals we set out for ourselves as an Assembly. Devolution will sustain present and future generations by putting Northerners in charge of the decisions about how public lands, water and resources are developed and used. With this authority, we will be able to make sure development decisions are in the best interests of our residents and consistent with our own values and priorities.
Devolution and access to resource revenues will also help us pursue our goal of a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices. Devolution will give the GNWT additional financial resources that could help us fund economic development programs and make infrastructure investments that can help grow the NWT economy; investments like improved transportation links that will make our mineral resources more accessible and support for more sustainable development throughout the North. We could invest in our vast hydro potential, both lowering the cost of energy in our communities and reducing our dependence on imported diesel at the same time.
Devolution will also position us to achieve success on our goal of healthy, educated people. With devolution, we could invest in capacity building and education programs, ensuring that our residents are trained and qualified to participate in and benefit from the economic activity going on around them. With more choices and opportunities available to them, Northerners can hope to see more sustainable, vibrant and safe communities and be better positioned to lead healthier and more productive lives.
Mr. Speaker, the devolution AIP is only a step towards this future vision of the Northwest Territories, but it is an important step and a reminder of the fact that it will take time to create the kind of North that our residents want and deserve. Throughout the life of this Assembly, the GNWT has been making investments in initiatives designed to move us towards our overall goals, just as we have done with the devolution AIP. The time has now come to consolidate the gains that we have made so that we and future Assemblies can continue to build on them. In the same way that the devolution AIP is a foundation for our future success, the work we have done to advance our goals over the past three years is the foundation for all the work that is to follow.
As Members we are challenged to make decisions that are in the best interests of all NWT residents while representing our home communities. While we may continue to have differences, we cannot let those differences distract us from the goal we can all agree upon: that we make decisions today with future generations in mind.
In this Assembly, at the northern leaders’ table, and in our communities, we have sought and found unity when we have focussed on the future...
when we have concentrated not on the difficulties but on the possibilities;
when we have focused on realizing opportunities and choices for our people;
focused on capturing the potential of our rich resource base -- in a responsible and sustainable way that maximizes the benefits of this wealth for residents of the NWT;
when we have focused on taking our rightful place as decision-makers in the NWT.
I would like to thank Members for their shared commitment to this better future. With the signing of the devolution AIP, we have opened the door to an even better future than we had before. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
