Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to carry on today from my Member’s statement of yesterday and further discuss the Devolution Final Agreement and the upcoming engagement process.
Constituents have expressed their concerns to me about the lack of information and the lack of opportunity to discuss how the Devolution Agreement will be implemented. In a post-devolution NWT, after federal employees and jobs have been transferred to the GNWT, what guarantees do we have that services will remain as they are today? What have we heard from the NWT government to date to reassure residents that a post-devolution GNWT will carry on with all the activities currently done on our behalf by federal government staff? What have we heard to give us comfort that the standards of service and programs that we take over will be maintained at the same level as they are now, as delivered by Canada, when they are delivered by the GNWT?
So little has been said about a post-devolution government, with the exception of how much more money we’ll have. The residents are, rightly, nervous. Will we maintain the same level of environmental monitoring and assessment? Will we continue the same land functions that the Government of Canada now performs? I sure hope so. Federal employees do a huge number of things on behalf of the NWT. Will all of these activities be continuing? What plans does the government have to incorporate those activities and departments into the GNWT public service? How will the new GNWT public service be structured? Can residents have input into the proposed structure?
All of these questions should be part of the public engagement process that was outlined by the Premier yesterday during oral questions. Not only do our residents need to understand the Devolution Final Agreement, but they need and want to understand how things will work in a post-devolution NWT. How the agreement will be implemented must be discussed with the general public, and the general public must have an opportunity for input.
The Premier’s been immersed in getting to devolution for years, but now is the time to lift up our heads and take a good, objective look around, to take stock of where we are, take stock of what people know and want to know, and to provide opportunities for residents to speak and be heard.
I’ll have questions for the Premier at a later time.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
