Mr. Speaker, in regards to my opening statement, I talked about the impacts this board reform will have on self-government negotiating talks up and down the valley. There are several tables in place. In my riding, there are two tables presently negotiating, the Inuvialuit and the Gwich’in. Again, I think it should be their choice in regards to what type of structures that they would like to govern themselves going forward in the future. My question is to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Roland. Has the government consulted with First Nations governments who are negotiating self-government and the impacts of board reform on those negotiating tables?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This initiative is one that we’ve discussed at the regional leaders meeting. In fact, when we had our regional leaders meeting in the Sahtu, we have also put on paper the other, internally for the government on consultation processes and each department will be using that process as we deal with the issues around aboriginal governments of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, under the Gwich’in agreement, the whole principle of negotiations was that self-government negotiations will be addressed. The Gwich’in desired to have self-government exercises as close to the communities as possible. Mr. Speaker, I believe the board reform will totally take away those powers that we are trying to negotiate for powers in our communities, which again will establish these regional structures and take away those authorities we are trying to develop in our communities. I would like to ask the Premier or the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, is the government still living up to the obligations under the self-government agreements that we negotiated to allow self-government to be negotiated at the community level?
Mr. Speaker, this process that is being undertaken to review how we deliver programs and services in the Northwest Territories is not one that will stop, interfere or hinder with any self-government negotiation that is happening to date or in the future. The simple fact is, for self-governments, once they negotiate a claim, they would then draw down that authority where they have negotiated. So if it is particular with education or health and social services or justice, those areas that they have negotiated would be drawn down to the degree there were signatories to an agreement between the federal government, aboriginal governments or the Government of the Northwest Territories. This initiative does not interfere with that work. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe it will. As being a private negotiator with the Dene-Metis claim, the Gwich’in and the Sahtu, the Government of the Northwest Territories and Canada has always had the principle that you can only negotiate for existing programs and services and nothing more. So has the Government of the Northwest Territories changed that position? If so, is it in writing?
Once again, the Government of the Northwest Territories has not changed its position. We have not changed any legislation. This will not change the Education Act unless this Assembly agrees to change the government structure of that or the Territorial Health and Social Services Act. Again, unless this Assembly agrees to change the governance portion of that, and that is what the board reform is looking at, the governance side of it, the programming side, day-to-day delivery of education in our schools, day-to-day delivery of health care in our communities, is not going to be changed by this process. In fact, we are trying to make sure we have enough revenue to keep what we have or try to enhance it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is exactly the fear factor that is out there in our region. It is because we are negotiating self-government to govern ourselves and not depend on Yellowknife in the future. That is what self-government to us means. By you saying that basically we now will have to agree to seven boards in the Northwest Territories and you have to live with what the decision of this government is, that is a change in regards to the organization structure in our regions. Again, I would like to ask the Premier...That is a very crucial change in regards to the structure of governance in our regions which will have an effect of the outcome of our negotiations for land claims. I would like to make it clear to the Premier that the decision you are making here today will have a drastic affect on our land claims negotiations, but more importantly our own right to govern ourselves in our regions by this decision. Have you got a legal opinion from the Department of Justice or from Aboriginal Affairs what the legal ramifications of this decision are on those land claims negotiations and those agreements that this government signed?
Mr. Speaker, the fact is there is no change in our direction at the negotiation tables. The matters that are being discussed at the Deline table, the Tulita table, the Gwich’in table, the Inuvialuit table or the Dehcho table have consistently been on the table. None of those factors have been removed. What we are trying to do through this process is come up with all the information necessary for the next steps as Mr. Miltenberger laid out. Once this Assembly agrees what steps to take forward and if we are going to make some more changes, then we will take that to the appropriate tables -- I would think that, for example, to the regional aboriginal leadership -- and put that on the table and see if we can continue to work with them on implementing and improving our services. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
