Thank you.
I appreciate your comments on language. My wife is enrolled in the language revitalization program and I can attest that it's a very good program.
I have a real concern over the issue of land claims and where things are going on that front. Even with some of the aboriginal governments that have settled land claims, we're still hearing a lot of concern over financing, funding, and pondering parts of the agreement.
However, there are still a number of organizations that want to find their way forward in terms of settling the issues that are challenging them. In the Northwest Territories, we have five major tribal councils that are in various stages of discussion on either land claims or self-government. They can't seem to find the resources or the time to really work in terms of what's needed in governance. They can't provide the people. They don't have the resources to provide programming and there are all these things in terms of housing and education. There's a shortage. All their time is being spent on land claims negotiations.
In my area, the people I represent.... There are many different organizations, but I also belong to the Dehcho First Nation and it has been in negotiations for over 20-some years. We want to see them move past that. I think modern-day land claims and treaties are the way forward in terms of reconciliation. If people can move into a governance model where they can focus and look at issues that are challenging to people and deal with it at the community level, that would go a long way.
Do you envision setting up a mechanism, such as has been suggested and even tried, a deputy minister oversight committee, board, or structure that would provide political connections to the process, where you don't just take a bunch of negotiators, give them a mandate, put them in a room, and make them stay there till they're done? Usually, they run into a real challenging issue where they can't make headway, yet they can't bring the leaders back into the room.
I'm hearing about all kinds of different options out there and there are some good ones. I'm not sure if your organization has looked at things of that nature.