Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask some questions to the Premier in regard to the Sahtu Land Claim Agreement. In our agreements we have institutions, we have set up institutions that would bring some decision-making authority and control within the Sahtu. Now with devolution and Mr. Bromley’s questions on the environmental assessments and stuff like that, will our institutions still be restricted because of the institutions that we set up? We have set them up for a reason and for a purpose. Will these institutions still be in place or is it the GNWT’s intention to take over these institutions and not follow authorities set by our land claims?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We were participants in the negotiation of land claim agreements and we certainly stand by what was negotiated. The Devolution Final Agreement provides for non-abrogation of treaties or land claims. We have that language throughout the Devolution Final Agreement where there will be no negative impacts on those areas. Where or if it ever happens then what’s in the land claim would trump what’s in the Devolution Agreement. Thank you.
Over the years of hard work that the people have set, that institutions set out our own rights within our own land claims. Now we also have our own land in the Sahtu. Is that also in the type of response I get back from the Minister that the Sahtu people are making decisions on their own lands, through their own institutions and that’s the process that will continue? Is that what I’m understanding from the Premier?
Thank you. That’s the whole premise of the agreement under the Intergovernmental Council that the Aboriginal governments that have land claims, who are the largest land holders in the Northwest Territories – I think together they hold about 193,000 square kilometres of freehold land – the way we see it, the management regime is that each Aboriginal government would manage their own land that they own and we would work together to provide for best practices and some consistency across the Northwest Territories. Together we’ll all manage the land in the best interests of all the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you. I recall from the days of negotiating we want more land, that’s what we kind of negotiated with the two governments. So I want to ask the Premier within our land claims, the constitution, the protective document that sets up certainties, securities, institutions in the Sahtu, is it the intention of the territorial government to work with the Sahtu people through their institution to look at issues in a way that satisfies the people of the Sahtu, such as the operations of the oil and gas explorations, using the hydraulic fracking, that due diligence is followed and all the concerns that we have heard are followed, investigated, looked at and reported so that any application isn’t taken for granted, but each application would receive a thorough body of due diligence?
Thank you. We had a meeting with our Aboriginal government leaders on March the 7th where we discussed the Intergovernmental Council and the proceedings and all of the different leaders all raised some of the issues of concern to them. Certainly, the Sahtu Secretariat leadership expressed issues that they are interested in and together we’ll work to deal with these issues. I don’t recall, I don’t think fracking was raised, but there is a body through this government that will deal with it, as the Minister of ENR has indicated would be coming out with a document on that as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Premier, when does it become the tipping point for any region that outside influence will have an influence in the Sahtu region? If it’s our decision through our institutions and our land claims that we are to make decisions based on what we have set up, when does there come a point where, okay, we need to look at other areas where people outside the Sahtu will start to influence and start making decisions for the people in the Sahtu?
Thank you. I believe we’re already seeing that happen and I think that we will continue to work with the Sahtu leadership to try to work with what the people in the region want to see happen. I think that’s the way we will approach and that’s the way the land claims have been negotiated and settled on a regional basis. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
