Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up with MLA Bromley’s question in terms of the impact of this initial signing of the AIP and the impact on the relationship with the Aboriginal governments. As I’ve witnessed on TV, while I was in Deline, seeing the initial and the amount of Aboriginal governments with the protestors out there to not have this go forward until some more work should be done on it, I want to ask the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs why they rushed in terms of initiating this agreement. There was some talk about waiting until May or something like that. Why did they rush when they did not have critical mass there at the table with them, in terms of signing this historical document? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would say when you look at the work that was done since 2001, to rush this is not a proper use of our language in the sense of definitions here. The fact that the 2007 agreement that was signed by the Government of the Northwest Territories this day and for the Aboriginal partners, this agreement brings even further clarity and in fact is enhanced in a number of areas. When we’ve had groups sign on to this prior to that, they’ve been involved in a process as we started this up in 2010 and went through that process. At main table discussions all the groups were updated on some of the bilaterals specific to the GNWT and the federal government. For example, human resources assets that are used by that department in those areas, that would be transferred. Things of that nature which are specifically bilateral, those are all still brought to the table for further discussion.
It is challenging at most times, even at the regional leaders’ table. We’ve often said that as we come together and share our issues and hope to gain support for some of them, we fully realize at times there will be no agreement on some of the initiatives. I am hoping that as we go forward and by writing to the regional leaders and their chiefs to ask them to sit down with us and go on looking on a forward basis how we bring people back together, we look at the AIP and sort of set out a roadmap as to what’s there before us, those challenges, time frames, resources that will be needed to bring success to this next phase.
We’re just about at the end of our term as legislators. Let’s talk about hypothetical here. There is going to be a federal election in springtime, not too sure. This agreement here has been an issue. We don’t have critical mass in terms of the strength to go ahead with the AIP in terms of making it a truly northern deal. The parameters have been set to negotiate some of the finer details of the agreement. That’s why I use the term “rush,” in terms that it may not be well taken by the Cabinet. However, that’s the way it’s been looked upon by some of the people in my region.
The important question that I want to ask this Cabinet here is how we now build a relationship with the majority of signatories of the Aboriginal governments. How do we start building that relationship? We certainly deteriorated the trust and good work that’s been done over the years. How do we put together a unified, certified northern people to say, yes, this is a good deal? That’s the question. How do we mend these broken hearts out there?
That will be, I guess, the big question, is how we bring the folks back to the table for meaningful involvement in helping set the course of the next months, years, of discussion and to a final agreement stage. As we’ve laid out, as the Government of the Northwest Territories, the regional leaders’ table model, where we bring all the regional leaders together and at times bring the chiefs along for other discussion, I am offering that to the regional leaders to meet with them, whether it’s at a large group setting or if they want to do region by region with their community chiefs involved, to go through this process to see how we move to the next stage and how we would move through that next stage, and going forward on that basis.
I believe it’s through that work, the continued commitment to keep the door open, keep offering the meetings and the chance to sit down on the way forward. I think we will be able to bring some of the people back to the table. I fully respect positions put out by some of the leaders where they say they want to work on their process. That’s where I come in.
As I said earlier to a question, this AIP does not take away from the existing land claims and self-government, and even the ones that are in discussions. We’ve made sure that wording is in place in this agreement.
I consulted with some of the self-government governments in the Sahtu and I would agree to disagree with the Premier’s comment in terms of taking away some of the existing land claims agreements or self-government issues here. I’ve not yet completed my analysis, but I’m hoping to bring it up sometime within the next couple of days to have a debate with the Minister.
I want to ask the Minister again in terms of bringing forward this and building a relationship with the Aboriginal governments in terms of is the Minister looking at, say, for example, the Dene Nation are going to be having a chiefs meeting sometime this month. Is this something that this Cabinet will look at to say we want to work with you and is there funding available for groups who do want to come together or governments who want to come together and look at this and say how can we go forward on this? Is there available funding to the governments?
Through the Department of Executive we have agreements signed with the regional groups for their participation in the devolution talks. We have a funding agreement for the regional leaders’ table to have those meetings, as well, in this process.
Our process has been to work with the regional leaders. I have spoken to Mr. Erasmus of the Dene Nation and he did talk about seeing if he could pull chiefs together. We’re open to working with the regional leaders, and if the regional leaders choose that venue, then we’re prepared to sit down with the regional leaders through that approach. Ultimately it will be through the agreement of regional leaders how we proceed on this initiative and involving all the partners that would help move this forward.
I must say I was thankful for the call I had from Mr. Erasmus suggesting that this may be a venue, and we are looking at those options.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister about releasing the document. I understand it’s going to be released shortly. I want to ask the Minister why it’s taking so long to release this document. It’s so important. I’ve asked before that it should have been released before. It looked like such a secretive document. Just now, because of the initialling, it will be released to the public. Now even one of the leaders in the Sahtu is saying that we don’t understand this document. I’m wondering why it’s taking so long to be released to the public here.
The process is, as I responded to a question in a previous sitting about how we would go forward in respecting the process, we have already at the table with Aboriginal negotiations on self-government and land claims and resources, we honour that process, as it was not a signed document. The leadership across the North received letters from the chief negotiators, including ourselves, at the end of September, and from that process were involved in trying to come to a place where we could have mutual agreement on that. We’ve tried to stay out of the business of telling regional groups how they need to do their business, as we’ve learned from our history of allowing them to do their work, but as a way forward we’re hoping that we will be able to find a satisfactory way of including the community leadership in providing them all the necessary information.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Before I go on, I just want to ask Members if they would respect their own rules as far as question period is concerned. We’ve got half the clock used up and we’ve only asked three questions so far. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
