Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize, but I thought I'd be a little earlier getting off the plane and making my way over here.
I don't have any prepared comments. My comments will be more from a historical point of view of being a resident and involved at the local level of government with an aboriginal organization initially and through public government and to the point where the agreement in principle was signed by the Government of the Northwest Territories along with the federal government.
I go to the big picture, I guess, to say that the north has been asking for decades, as far back as I can remember, to when leaders used to gather for regional meetings as well as when we'd hear the news in the territory about the request to gain control over what happens in the north, that those decisions be made by northerners. That debate has gone on in many meetings. I believe that even our representative, the member for Western Arctic, can confirm that at many meetings the leadership across the north has asked and made statements to fact that northerners need to be in control of what happens in the north.
This bill has now come to this point, and I must say it's been a long time in the works. There have been many debates, many discussions of what it should be, what should happen with it when it first comes over. There was some discussion even at the legislative assembly when I was still there regarding what legislation should be brought over and what changes should be made immediately. As we all know, government trying to bring over legislation from another level is time-consuming and challenging at best. It was felt that for a smooth transition with the concerns of industry and other groups across the north, it would be brought in mirroring what's happening now, and then the government of the day in the Northwest Territories could start introducing changes as it sees fit.
I welcome this day that a federal committee has come north to discuss northerners taking control of their destiny and future, and what is in place and not in place. Even the discussion when I came in about the makeup of these things shows that the more authority that comes north, the better off northerners will be and our future will be when we have people directly involved in making those decisions and making changes to what they see is best for northerners.
There will come a time, I believe, in the north when it's northerners who will be making these decisions, debating among each other what is required to be put in place and who is to benefit from all of this work that happens.
In short, that's where I am at this point. In my role as the mayor of the community of Inuvik, I believe it will work closely with the decisions that will be made. My region has been reliant if not on government, then on industry, and has always been challenged with the fact that—I'm not saying this to be insulting or anything—someone from afar is making key decisions on who benefits and what's in place for northerners when it comes to our own front yard, not even our back yard, but our front yard.
I am keen to see this follow through. We weighed the options heavily at the time when we were considering signing an agreement in principle with the federal government in moving this to the next stage. The time for debate has happened. While there is some debate needed in the sense of how the transition occurs, I think the key decision has been made and that is to give responsibility to northerners. Short and blunt and to the point, that's how I come to the table.
Thank you very much.