Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. If I had to turn to one document, no, there's no one document that says that, but there is a series of efforts and strategies that culminate in the way the north sees the development happening. The GNWT has played a role in that and the federal government has played a role in that.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'll be very brief, because I can't add anything better to what Rosemary and Harvey have said already. We totally subscribe to a pan-northern approach to the solution, and everything you've heard us say today is consistent across the three territories.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Perhaps I'll start. Mr. Chair, in the Northwest Territories it is different, as I've said, with the nature of our comprehensive claim process and the multitude of claims that respect the peoples of the territory and the different peoples of the territory. The Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act is the governing legislation that deals with the overall development agenda.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's a very sensitive topic. While the dialogue seems to appear to be continuing, progress has not been made. Across the table, I don't believe the parties are moving at any rate that northerners expect. It's been through a number of governments in this legislature, and in fact in our own legislature, that we've seen this discussion go on for over 20 years.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I've been in contact with the federal government over the last few years on the MPMO. It's our view that better federal coordination is necessary in the north. That's evident. Departments need a vehicle so they can work better together and deal with major project development. We're not convinced at this point that an extension of the MPMO is necessarily the right thing to do.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The Northwest Territories is different from the Yukon. It is primarily associated with the federal government's comprehensive claims process with the aboriginal peoples of the territory, a number of different arrangements across the territory, not all settled at this point. However, the federal government's Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act is the comprehensive process piece that oversees resource development and oversight and environmental review.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I sound like a broken record, but I think the first thing is that decision-making needs to made in the north, by the people of the north. As I said earlier, northerners do not believe they have that entitlement. The decisions are made by the federal government.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll just respond to the infrastructure portion. I've said this before. Transport issues are the Mackenzie highway, some airport improvements, and some marine improvements in the system. From the energy side, the Mackenzie gas project is at the top of the list followed by some hydroelectric development projects, currently the Taltson initiative.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The regulatory system. Act on the recommendations that Mr. McCrank, the environmental audit, the GNWT, and other parties have brought forward to the federal government. I believe you heard from the assistant deputy just a few days ago that this is the objective. We want to see execution and implementation of those changes in a timely manner.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I've spoken about devolution. I think that's the overarching statement. However, let me say that in the short term, investment in critical infrastructure in the territory is the priority for our government. It's why we're pleased to hear about these investments recently by the federal government.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Energy is a priority for the GNWT. The Government of the Northwest Territories recently announced a $60 million multi-year investment in a whole spectrum of energy initiatives. We are reliant on fossil fuels for the majority of the smaller communities that depend on diesel, particularly, for electricity generation.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Bevington. In terms of encouraging sustainable lifestyles, I would agree that we've seen a modest decrease in population in recent times. We would attribute that to the variance in the resource economy; there has been some change and downturn in the resource side of the economy.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and Monsieur Lemay. Who controls development of the mines? For all mines, it is the federal government. The legislation or authority for the development of resources in the Northwest Territories and the control of lands is federal. It has been at the heart of a long-standing challenge for the Northwest Territories to have devolution of those powers.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. In terms of supporting the oil and gas development in the Northwest Territories, number one, you could help us with a transportation system, the Mackenzie gas project being one of the primary ones. And improving the regulatory system is the other part of that.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The maps have text integrated into them, so my apologies, as they would have English text on them.