Debates of October 25, 2006 (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know Fred is up there, so I better sound intelligent here.

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Mr. Speaker, we heard talk of resource revenue sharing now for years and years. As I said before, it seems like we are going in circles. I would like to ask Premier Handley what is the single biggest issue that is preventing us from moving this agenda forward? Thank you.

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

Return To Question 187-15(5): Literacy Program Budget Reductions

Mr. Speaker, I don’t know which one is the main one, but I tell you, us not working together is one for sure. We need to work together. You put your finger on that one today. A second one is a real infrequence by the bureaucracy in Ottawa who just don’t get it. They want to treat us as if we are a colony out there. Mr. Speaker, I think those are the two main things that are stopping us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 187-15(5): Literacy Program Budget Reductions

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Premier for that answer because it is something that I have always been wondering about. I look around this Assembly. We have Inuvialuit in here. We have the Gwich’in. We have the Sahtu. We have the Dehcho, Tlicho, Akaitcho, Metis. We pretty well have everybody covered in here as far as the major claimant groups go. The Premier just heard me name off the major groups as I see them. Has the Premier ever sat in a room leader to leader, government to government with these seven or eight major claimant groups, came up with a strategy and tried to move this issue of resource revenue and devolution forward? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 187-15(5): Literacy Program Budget Reductions

Mr. Speaker, yes, I have several times. I have sat down with all of the leaders and tried to come up with one consensus on agreement. In fact, we have done it through the Circle of Northern Leaders. I think we are the first government to have all of the leaders together, 50 some leaders together around the table, to try to get a consensus. Mr. Speaker, we need everybody to work with us and to recognize and maybe some compromise and so on on everybody’s part to make this work. But we have done it. We have done it on several occasions. I have done it individually. I have done it with everybody together. I have done it with those with land claims, those without and so on, Mr. Speaker. I am going to continue to do that, because I think working in partnership is something that you can’t just do once. It is an ongoing exercise. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 187-15(5): Literacy Program Budget Reductions

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Premier said that he met with all these groups. I was asking if he met with them all at the same time, all seven or eight major leaders, because I have gone to a few leadership summits. There is the Aboriginal Summit, there are some other groups, but it seems to me that there is always someone missing. There is always a group missing. Are all of these groups part of the Aboriginal Summit? Has he met with every single leader in the same room? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 187-15(5): Literacy Program Budget Reductions

Mr. Speaker, I met with every single regional leader in the same room several times. The most recent time was in Norman Wells in about April. At that time, in fact, I met with the leaders and with Minister Prentice in the room as well. Mr. Speaker, we have had several of those meetings. In terms of all of the leaders, chiefs, mayors and everybody we tried; we never got everybody together, but regional leadership, yes. We have met with them several times. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final, short supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 187-15(5): Literacy Program Budget Reductions

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was something that I always wondered about because there always seemed to be one…Someone is always missing. My colleague from the Sahtu likes to quote a commercial, hands in your pocket. We don’t have pockets. They have the whole pair of pants.

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The Premier talks about the bureaucrats. This is not about the bureaucrats. I would like to see the Premier and major leaders go down to Ottawa, meet with the Prime Minister, skip the bureaucrats. We have to start skipping the bureaucrats and relay that message to the Prime Minister that we want to negotiate with him directly, no bureaucrats, because that is why it has gone on for 20 years and that is why it may go on for another 20 years. We are going to wander around in the wilderness for another 40 years before we reach this Promised Land. Would the Premier communicate to the Prime Minister that he does not want to meet with any more bureaucrats; meet leader to leader, government to government himself? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 187-15(5): Literacy Program Budget Reductions

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to clarify, I don’t go to Ottawa to meet with bureaucrats. I don’t meet with bureaucrats here. They meet with our bureaucrats. I go to Ottawa and meet with the leaders and that is the Prime Minister, the Minister of DIAND or another federal Minister.

Mr. Speaker, just to be clear though, I think it would be very difficult and it may be impossible to have the Prime Minister to agree to meet with me as a political leader without having one of his staff in the room and so on. I think putting in that kind of a request, we probably wouldn’t get the meeting. But even if the bureaucrats are sitting there, it is political leader to political leader. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.