Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to update Members on the work being undertaken to advance the 16th Legislative Assembly’s priority of working toward a common vision for the political development of the NWT.
As Members are aware, the newly established Northern Leaders’ Forum is made up of a representative from each of the regional aboriginal governments, the Northwest Territories Association of Communities, MLAs Mr. Ramsay and Mr. Krutko and myself. We initially met in July 2009 to hold preliminary discussions about working on the development of a common vision for the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise that the Northern Leaders’ Forum met for the second time in November 2009 and we are united in our agreement to work together to develop a common vision and roadmap for the future of the NWT and build upon a solid foundation of respectful government-to-government relations. Now we need to turn our attention to formalizing our collaboration, identifying a common vision for this Territory we all call home, engaging the people we serve and learning from those who have travelled this road before us.
There is a wealth of information for us to build upon. There are national examples of how governments can work together for the betterment of all citizens. For instance, since 2005, the Council of the Federation has successfully provided provincial and territorial governments the
opportunity to identify, advance and resolve common issues and interests. All of the governments who participate in the Council of the Federation retain full authority and jurisdiction within their respective provinces and territories but are able to come together and discuss issues of national and mutual concern for the benefit of all Canadians. I believe this is what governments in the NWT can and need to do to enhance our collective ability to successfully advance key issues of importance for all Northerners.
All northern leaders expressed support to consider a similar approach, based on mutual respect and recognition, to determine the nature and extent of our future intergovernmental relationships.
Mr. Speaker, as Premier and Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, I have made it a priority to meet with regional aboriginal government leaders on a regular basis. My meetings with all the leaders, through the GNWT-Regional Aboriginal Leaders’ Meeting forum (RALM) take place three to four times per year. Since taking office, we have met in the RALM forum seven times, with another meeting planned for later this March.
Our government is committed to attending the annual general assemblies of regional aboriginal governments. Over the course of the past year, Ministers and I have been fortunate to be able to attend a number of these assemblies held throughout the NWT, and look forward to the opportunity to attend more in the upcoming year.
Mr. Speaker, our government has also placed high importance on making ourselves available to meet individually with aboriginal leaders. These types of meetings provide the opportunity to address a range of matters that are of specific concern or interest to our respective governments and organizations and serve to further strengthen our one-on-one relationships.
The recent establishment of the Northern Leaders’ Forum, the multilateral RALM meetings, the annual general assemblies and the numerous bilateral meetings present many formal and informal opportunities to engage with the North’s leadership.
During the term of this Assembly, we have met on a government-to-government basis with aboriginal government leaders more frequently than any other previous territorial government.
I believe that keeping open lines of communication among all northern governments and finding concrete ways in which we can work together is particularly important at times such as these. When we may not all agree on an issue. The challenge before us is to find respectful ways in which we can discuss these issues, seek common ground, and at times agree to disagree but to do so without compromising our government-to-government relations.
As I stated last session, I am fully committed to working with Members during the term of this Assembly to ensure that we achieve our goal of achieving a strong and independent North built on partnerships and to completing a common vision for the political development of the NWT. Currently the Northern Leaders’ Forum is developing a plan of action to guide us over the coming months and I’ll ensure that the Legislative Assembly is kept apprised of these developments.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
