Debates of October 13, 2004 (day 19)

Merci, Mr. Speaker. My question this afternoon is for the Premier and it’s a follow-up to my statement regarding the status of devolution talks for the resources of the Northwest Territories. Last week, Mr. Speaker, the Premier was quoted in northern media as saying -- and this was in response to the announcement of a pipeline regulatory filing -- “The pipeline won’t come at the expense of our children’s future. We don’t want to see northerners not getting a fair share.” I applaud the Premier’s statement and his statement of his vision which I share.

My question for the Premier, Mr. Speaker, is what measures will this government be taking to ensure that the Premier’s vision actually becomes reality? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Return To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like many northerners, I have a concern that the bulk of our wealth and future wealth is in the non-renewable resource sector. While we do have, certainly, many other opportunities in tourism and so on that are renewable, the big piece is non-renewable; diamonds and oil and gas being the big ones.

Mr. Speaker, we have been looking at this. Mr. Roland, the Finance Minister, and I have been talking with the federal government and with aboriginal governments. I wrote to the Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker, last summer and suggested to him that we have an interim resource revenue sharing arrangement put in place so we begin to have some of that revenue stay in the North sooner. I talked to the Prime Minister when he was in Inuvik in August. I talked to the Prime Minister about it when I met with him in September. I have written to the aboriginal leaders. I have talked with them on a conference call about the idea of interim resource revenue sharing and there was going to be a meeting with the Aboriginal Summit leaders this week, but unfortunately it had to be cancelled because some of the members just were not going to be able to make it. I intend to follow up with this at a meeting on October 26th with Ministers McLellan, Goodale, Blondin-Andrew, Scott and, I believe Minister Efford may also be there, too.

But we need to make sure, Mr. Speaker, that our resources are not mined out of the Territories and that we do not have in place some sort of agreement that ensures that that money is here to be reinvested for future generations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Premier for the answer, but there’s really not much substance to this. We have had discussions and talks going on, we have meetings arranged and some of them are yet to come, some of them are cancelled. Where is the process? Where is the mechanism by which we’re going to see devolution achieved? I would refer to the process that the federal government engaged in over the last four years and spent considerable money -- in the millions -- to help lift this process off the ground. But I don’t hear from the Premier that there’s actually anything happening right now other than more talk. Is that the case? Is there actually something engaged right now?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Devolution discussions have certainly been a major topic of discussion among all aboriginal leaders. Most of the leaders, I must say, Mr. Speaker, are on side, but there are some situations where the grand chiefs, the leaders in the regions are still negotiating their land claim or other aboriginal processes, and they have said slow down devolution until we get our processes out of the way first at the regional level. I continue to promote moving ahead speedily with devolution, but on the condition that we also have a resource revenue sharing arrangement that is parallel with it. We don’t want to take on responsibilities without the money that comes with it. We need to have an opportunity to have a fair share.

So that process is ongoing. It was commenced in 2002 in a very aggressive way. I am still optimistic we will continue on track. I hope we have an agreement-in-principle before the end of 2004, but in the meantime I am also preparing to move ahead on an interim resource revenue sharing process because I am not 100 percent confident that we’re moving fast enough on devolution. In case it starts to fall off the tracks or get slowed down, I want to have the interim process in place, because once we sign an AIP there might be a long time before we ever can agree on a final agreement.

But, Mr. Speaker, yes, there is a process taking place. Negotiations are ongoing. The next negotiating session will happen on October 26th to 28th here in Yellowknife. So that one is moving, but I must say, Mr. Speaker, not as fast as I would like to see it moving. So in the interim, I am also talking with the federal Ministers and the Prime Minister on an interim arrangement that would kick in giving us some resource revenues as early as after signing an AIP. I believe most aboriginal leaders have thought about it and are generally on side with the concept. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

So, Mr. Speaker, you know, northern leaders are very familiar and supportive and on side with aboriginal governments to do whatever can be done to help them achieve land claims and self-government. But you know, where we definitely seem to be at odds, as the Premier has said, is that some leaders are saying to slow down on devolution until we get land claims achieved. But you know, I don’t hear the mines slowing their production down. I don’t know if the pipeline and the oil and gas guys are slowing their production down.

The resources are leaving the Northwest Territories. They will not be renewed. How are we going to overcome this really severe bottleneck at the governance level, the top levels of governance in the Northwest Territories, so that we can achieve a devolution deal? I’m not convinced in what I hear from the Premier so far that we really have a process that has a solid mandate. We’re still discussing the shape of the table, if you will. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Mr. Speaker, negotiations of devolution is a very complex process. It is one that has been going on for 17 or 18 years. In 2002, we attempted to speed up the process in the last government. I am still hoping that we can move that along quickly. It is a very complicated one, particularly for aboriginal people because it is not just dealing with an administrative arrangement and how we deliver programs, but it is dealing with rights that they have to work their way through. It is moving, but it is not moving as quickly as I like.

I agree with the honourable Member that there are resources going out of this territory. They are not slowing down. They are speeding up in fact, Mr. Speaker. We need to have something quicker in the interim in place. I have gone to the highest authority I can: the Prime Minister. I have made this case with him and with his senior Ministers. They are listening to what we are saying. I am meeting with the Ministers on October 26th and trying to get an interim process that would come into place quickly. I am concerned, Mr. Speaker, that an agreement five or six years from now will be after, in some cases, two-thirds of a mine’s life is already gone. This is as much as I can say at this point, Mr. Speaker. We have a process in place. I am meeting with both aboriginal leaders and the federal Ministers on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Your final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Premier. My final question is if we have a discussion and negotiation process underway, then does our government have a mandate that is brought to this negotiation? Would the Premier be able to release that mandate? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Mr. Speaker, yes, we have a mandate that we have given to our negotiators, and yes, I certainly would be willing to make that available. Thank you.