The questions are for the Premier with respect to my Member’s statement earlier.
In my language, when we say, Nahendeh it means: “This is our land.” I believe that should be the focus of any discussions the government has with Ottawa or with other aboriginal groups: to build a focus around it. Mr. Premier had discussions in Ottawa which didn’t go very well — if we can ask the circumstances around those discussions there.
Mr. Speaker, this gives me an opportunity, from the Member’s question, to set the record straight and clear up some of the comments that have been put out there through the media about the fact that my discussions with the Prime Minister went badly and, as a result, I’ve come back home to say no devolution talks are occurring.
The fact is, early after the election, I had an opportunity to meet with the regional aboriginal leadership across the Territories. We had an opportunity to sit down and give an indication of the fiscal environment we were in, as well as ask if there was support for moving ahead with the continued talks on devolution and resource revenue sharing. It has remained about the same as it had in the previous government, with some groups agreeing and other groups saying they had other interests at this time.
It was after that meeting that I said — and I stated at that point and, as well, informed Members — that reviewing our fiscal situation and where we are at with these discussions, we would be prepared, or at least from my end, to put that on the back burner. So it’s not a result of our discussions with Ottawa. Ottawa, in fact, is favourable to continuing the discussion. But we have to make sure the deal we get is one that will actually benefit Northerners.
Indeed, that is the focus I was looking at. How do we best work together with all the partners here in the North? One of the ways of doing it, I would suggest, is we still have to have some kind of office or some lead personnel to address this issue, to work the North and garner support from all our partners.
I don’t have to remind the House how many millions of dollars continue to leave the North, how many millions of dollars worth of carats, of oil and gas, et cetera. If I can get Mr. Premier to state what kind of plan does he have in place to address this very important issue of ours?
Mr. Speaker, one of the areas of building on the relationship we have in the Northwest Territories between the Government of the Northwest Territories itself and the aboriginal leadership is a commitment to sit down on a quarterly basis to discuss issues of common interest where we can move forward together and build on that. That process we started in November and are following up, potentially having a meeting at the end of this month or early March, if we can hold the parties together.
We are committed to a process that we will formalize, and work with our regional aboriginal leadership and this government, and commonly discuss issues that are of interest to all parties where we can build on the strength we have already.
To have common ground, Mr. Speaker — and I’ve always said that our common enemy has to be greater than our common differences here in the North. How is Mr. Premier going to…? What strategies does he have in place to speak with other aboriginal groups?
I know in the past we have talked about the heritage fund idea, and it’s a really good idea. Has the Premier addressed this with other aboriginal groups?
Mr. Speaker, let me restate the fact that we have established a working relationship on a quarterly basis with our regional aboriginal leadership and the Government of the Northwest Territories. We’re formalizing the process where both parties would put agendas on the items and build on those. I have initially addressed the issue of devolution of resource revenue sharing to see if there is continued support or if we can grow that support. And we’ll build on that situation.
I think, first and foremost, Mr. Speaker, when we talk of ourselves in the North, we must also present a business case to the rest of Canada about the benefits of getting a deal in the Northwest Territories as well. We can’t just get a deal for the sake of a deal. We have to ensure we get the proper deal, where we see lasting benefits. If that means we come up with the solution of a heritage fund, I would say that is something we should seriously look at.
But first and foremost, before we can even invest in that or put money into it, we have to ensure that any dollars that do come North don’t get swallowed up by the existing system we operate in.
Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
I guess one of the biggest things, Mr. Speaker, is that outsiders continue to make money from our land and our resources. And our people are tired of that.
I’d like to ask the Premier: what kind of hammer can he discuss with the other aboriginal groups so that we can stop this flow and start keeping some of the resources that rightfully belong to us and our land? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, the position that already exists is through land claims that have been settled. Through those claims, as a number of Members around the table here are aware — and they are aware that these agreements are negotiated with the federal government — there is a category. They do get resource revenue sharing as part of the package through the claims. It is not as large as we would like in the North.
But if you take part of the Dene/Métis Comprehensive Claim process and the resource revenue sharing piece of that, the federal government has gone through and given a percentage to each organization as they settled. My understanding is that it is equal to the amount they discussed in those early days of the Dene/Métis Comprehensive Claim. That is the process they're using now.
Our process is one where we see the rest of the revenue, and we need to get that addressed. Part of it was addressed, for example, during the discussions around equalization formula financing and the inclusion or exclusion of resource revenues. That has been set at a 50-50 set-off.
