Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague from the riding of Dewdney—Alouette and I listened to my colleagues from the Reform Party and to their contradictions and misunderstandings about this bill.
One member stated that these new boards will have no power and will be an empty shell. A number of members from the Reform Party stated the opposite, that they will have too many powers. Some are scared about the cost.
The Mackenzie River is long and the area is huge. The Mackenzie River is 4,000 kilometres long. What we are doing right now is transferring power from DIAND to the people of the Mackenzie Valley.
The Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board, the Regional Land Use Planning Board and the Environmental Impact Review Board will be transferred from DIAND to them. Right now we have many senior employees from DIAND travelling weekly to the Northwest Territories. That costs a lot of money because it is a very large area. They do not move from Yellowknife to Inuvik just like that. It is impossible. We are transferring the power to the people of the First Nations.
I have one question for my friend. How could the Reform Party say this bill is no good for aboriginal people knowing that the elected majority in the legislature of the Northwest Territories is made up of aboriginal people, knowing that the Premier of the Northwest Territories is Metis, knowing that the Minister of Renewable Resources in the Northwest Territories is Metis, knowing that the Gwich'in Council is in favour of this bill, knowing that the Sahtu Council is also in favour of this bill? How could he state that this bill is not good for the First Nations when all the First Nations people in this region are in favour of it?