Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I highlight the Dehcho Land Use Plan, which the Dehcho First Nations, the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories have been working on for the past decade. Government and industry view the Northwest Territories with great interest because of the vast potential for natural resources. Equally, Northerners look upon the beauty of the North as a gift of which we each have responsibility to maintain the integrity of the environment.
In the Deh Cho region, the Interim Measures Agreement signed in 2001 states the following:
“The purpose of the plan is to promote the social, cultural and economic well-being of the residents and communities in the Dehcho Territory, having regard to the interests of all Canadians.”
With the completion of the interim Dehcho Land Use Plan, the parties can move beyond phase one negotiations, which will protect the land in the interim while negotiations move towards a final agreement.
In 2006 a draft land use plan was completed, but at that time governments did not support it because it set aside too much land for conservation and also it was too complex to implement. Since then there have been efforts by all the parties to revise the Dehcho Land Use Plan by making changes to the regulatory mechanisms and zoning changes so that the Dehcho Land Use Plan could favourably be considered and reviewed by the parties.
There remain outstanding issues to move the Dehcho Land Use Plan forward. We all want to protect the land and also recognize a need for balance devolving for the Dehcho in the Northwest Territories.
I encourage all the parties to continue working and supporting the revision to the interim Dehcho Land Use Plan, and move it forward, and complete the course and help out the overall completion of the Dehcho process negotiations.
I will be raising questions in this regard later in the House today. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
