Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s talk of changes to the Mackenzie Valley Resources Management Act, and blowing up the boards, and making changes to the act and guidelines. By doing so, they’re stating it would not affect the land claims agreements. Mr. Speaker, I totally disagree. This is far from the truth, Mr. Speaker.
The land claims agreements were negotiated in such a way that the lands resources management act that is in place flowed from the land claims agreement in which it was enacted by the land claims organizations, the federal government, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the people throughout the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northwest Territories, especially the people in the Mackenzie Valley, through the Dene Metis land claims process, made it clear that they were tired of developers coming into their regions, coming into their territories and not consulting and not including them in any process. Mr. Speaker, the fundamental element of the land, water, and regimes in the land claim agreements were clear that the aboriginal groups, the Dene Metis, made it specifically clear that they had to be not only included, but they had to have some guarantees by way of percentages that 50 percent of all the boards would include appointments for nominees from the aboriginal organizations so that they were included in the regulatory process not only through consulting, but being full, active members of the regulatory process established in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, no longer will the aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories be bystanders to developers who have no place or ability to say aboriginal people have rights here. We have rights, we have land claims, we have the legal protection under Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution, but, Mr. Speaker, again, the federal government is finding a way to undermine the land claims agreements, and more importantly, doing it in such a way that they are saying that by simply making minor changes to the regulations and guidelines that they will not be affecting the agreements. I disagree.
Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important to realize that the land claim organizations were involved in the drafting and the implementation of the Mackenzie Valley Resources Act, in which they had people at the table negotiating those agreements so that they can find and ensure...
Mr. Krutko, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mr. Speaker, again, the aboriginal organizations want to ensure that they’re protecting the rights and their abilities that are recognized through the land claims agreements.
Mr. Speaker, Section 35 of the Canadian Constitutional specifically...(inaudible)...states that basically nothing by way of legislation changes can affect the land claim agreements. The rights are entrenched in those agreements and must be protected, upheld, and also the federal government has a fiduciary obligation to protect aboriginal rights and land claims agreements in regard to Section 35.
Mr. Speaker, I will be asking some questions to the Minister of Environment on this, realizing he did have a meeting with the federal appointee a number of days ago. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
