Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to provide Members of the Legislative Assembly with a short update on a number of important initiatives we have undertaken since the last sitting of this Legislative Assembly, initiatives that strengthen our partnerships both within and outside of our territory.
This is an interesting time in Canadian politics. It's a time that brings forth both opportunity and challenge for our territory. As we witness the political situation in Ottawa, we must continue to focus on partnering with the federal government in areas of importance to this territory.
The uncertainty created by the minority government, combined with the development potential of our territory and the heightened interest this brings, creates a political environment offering great opportunity, if we work together. This means we need to articulate a clear vision and set of priorities, and communicate this in a unified voice to Ottawa.
Each of us in this Assembly has a job to do, to keep the priorities of the Northwest Territories on the radar of the federal government. We are in the midst of unparalleled development, development not only benefiting the residents of the Northwest Territories but all Canadians. It is for this reason that all Members of this Legislative Assembly joined aboriginal and business leaders in hosting an NWT Day in Ottawa on April 5th.
The primary purpose of NWT Day was to meet with the federal Ministers and MPs to deliver an important message, a message about the need for the federal government to invest in this territory and work with northerners. The NWT is at a crossroads, the potential of our territory is tremendous, potential for development, for investment, for community and individual self-reliance, for shared benefits and wealth unprecedented in our history.
Mr. Speaker, the next logical and important step in the political and economic evolution of this territory is to see northern government, both public and aboriginal, take on the responsibility to manage its resources and to control the nature and pace of development, not to have it set for us by federal or private interests. In the interim, we need to see the federal government provide additional revenues to deal adequately with the pressures brought on by the rapid development we are experiencing in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I believe the work undertaken by the Members of this Legislative Assembly in partnership with the members of the Business Coalition and aboriginal governments who participated in NWT Day in Ottawa contributed greatly to move us closer to the resolution of these goals.
Since that time, the federal government has made a real commitment to work with this government and the affected regions along the pipeline route to provide additional interim funding to deal with the serious challenges our communities face to prepare for and deal with the development of this important project. We have been working with the leaders of the impacted regions to develop a plan to address these concerns.
But, Mr. Speaker, the long-term solution remains the negotiation of a fair devolution agreement that transfers responsibility for resource management to northern governments and makes northerners the primary beneficiaries for the development of their resources. The Prime Minister made a commitment last December to work with us to reach an agreement-in-principle by this spring. Deputy Prime Minister McLellan, Minister Goodale and Minister Scott reiterated this commitment during meetings in Ottawa recently. While we appreciate the public commitment made by the Prime Minister and his Ministers, we now need to see this resolve followed through at the negotiation table so that the remaining issues can be dealt with in the coming weeks.
Mr. Speaker, another important example of the work we are doing with the federal government is to develop a Northern Strategy that provides a comprehensive policy basis to guide decision-making for years to come. With the launch of this strategy last December, the Prime Minister made an important commitment to the three northern territories. He made a commitment to work jointly with us to develop a comprehensive vision for the development of the North.
But the Northern Strategy is not, and should not, be considered a partisan exercise. It is about nation building and creating new vitality and prosperity in the Canadian federation through the strengthening of Canada’s territories. It is important that the leaders of all parties in the House of Commons endorse the principles underpinning the strategy, and we have been working hard to ensure the other parties in the House of Commons understand and support the development of this strategy.
Mr. Speaker, another significant event occurred last month in Inuvik when northern leaders gathered at the second annual Circle of Northern Leaders to discuss the priorities that should be addressed in the Northern Strategy. It was clear the single most important priority must continue to be the pressing social and economic needs of our communities; better tools to deal with alcohol and drug problems; a responsive health delivery system; adequate housing and infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, these priorities reflect the common themes that have emerged from responses we have heard from individuals and in our many meetings with stakeholder groups. This work will culminate in a draft NWT chapter of the Northern Strategy with the following priorities:
building healthy, sustainable communities;
working towards self-reliance and self-determination;
protecting the environment and developing clean energy;
building capacity; and,
improving the health of our residents.
This round of consultations has concluded for the Northwest Territories. We are now developing a draft document incorporating all that we have heard. This document will not only identify these priorities but also the commitments required by governments to see them realized. It must lay the foundation for a new working relationship between the federal and northern governments that accurately reflects the important place this territory plays in the federation.
We expect the first draft of the Northern Strategy will be released next month. It will be a living, changing document guiding decision-making processes in the years to come. It will continue to evolve in order to reflect the changing priorities and circumstances of northerners, a feature essential to the NWT, as we know the immediate future will bring great change to our territory.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to make note of two other important forums we participate in to advance the interests of the Northwest Territories.
The Northern Cooperation Accord signed by the three territories in September 2003 provides opportunities to work together on issues of common concern. In April, I had the pleasure of hosting the third annual Northern Premiers’ Forum in Yellowknife. It was an opportunity to work with Premier Fentie and Premier Okalik to review the work each of the territories have undertaken on the Northern Strategy and to discuss issues under this year’s theme of “Working Together for Shared Success.”
It is important to note that the cooperative approach we have taken with our northern neighbours over the past several years has served the interests of all three territories. By working together, the three territories have realized additional federal funding commitments in areas such as health, our territorial financing agreements and in specific initiatives such as the Northern Strategy.
More importantly, we have also made significant progress on ensuring federal funding is allocated to the three northern territories in a manner that ensures it can have a meaningful impact. This means contributions that provide an adequate base funding level in addition to our normal per capita allocation.
Mr. Speaker, we also work with our colleagues in the western provinces and northern territories through the Western Premiers Conference to advance our interests. Earlier this month, I was pleased to join western and northern Premiers of this year’s conference in Lloydminster. As Members are aware, this is the centennial for the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the border city of Lloydminster was chosen to host this event to recognize this important centenary in both provinces.
The primary issue of discussion at the meeting was the need for action against the glowing use of crystal meth. The use of this drug is spreading at an alarming rate and although its use has yet to hit northern communities to the extent it has in southern Canada, we know there is an urgent need to take proactive steps to deal with the problem across jurisdictions to curb its manufacture and use before it becomes a crisis in the North. The Government of the Northwest Territories will participate in a meeting of Health, Justice and Public Safety Ministers in early June to continue to share best practices and develop strategies on education, prevention, treatment and policing for crystal meth.
Another significant area of focus was on labour market shortages in the North and West. An important focus of these discussions was about finding ways to address the low participation rates of aboriginal peoples in the labour force.
We agreed to work jointly on a strategy to deal with the critical labour shortages in western and northern Canada including working with employers and labour groups to identify best practices for the training and development of workers. Premiers will also bring western and northern aboriginal leaders together this summer to develop and implement a western Canadian aboriginal training strategy.
Mr. Speaker, we have been busy since the need of the budget session in working with our partners on issues of importance to this territory. This has required the collective effort of all Members of this House. I would like to thank all Members for their work and look forward to continuing our collaborative approach this summer in meeting our aboriginal government partners during their respective annual assemblies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
