Prime Minister Stephen Harper to announce devolution deal in N.W.T.
http://o.canada.com/2013/03/07/prime-minister-stephen-harper-to-announce-devolution-deal-in-n-w-t/#.UTneKb-V_jZ
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to travel to Yellowknife on Monday to announce the finalization of a deal that would cede province-like responsibilities to the Northwest Territories, Postmedia News has learned.
Harper is expected to announce an agreement that will transfer responsibility for managing public land, water and resources to the territory from the federal government, a process known as “devolution.”
The expected devolution agreement, which would render N.W.T. a de facto province, comes after more than a decade of negotiations.
N.W.T. Premier Bob McLeod’s office confirmed Thursday night there will be an event involving the federal government Monday in Yellowknife, and that the premier will attend. McLeod’s office did not confirm Harper’s attendance.
The agreement means tens of millions of dollars in royalties and other resource revenues that now go to the federal government will end up in territorial coffers. Those revenues are projected to increase as the territory’s mining sector expands, with its GDP expected to double by 2020.
McLeod and his cabinet visited Ottawa in late January to hammer out the agreement, which would take effect by April 2014. At the time, McLeod said the agreement was “very close” to completion.
John Duncan, at the time aboriginal affairs and northern development minister, told the House of Commons on Jan. 30 that a devolution agreement “will be an important and positive step in the evolution of northern governance and will deliver economic benefits to the Northwest Territories.”
“The benefits of devolution are clear, as we have seen in the Yukon. We want the Northwest Territories to benefit from this as well,” he said.
Yukon’s devolution agreement was signed in 2003. Nunavut has also started devolution talks with the federal government.
The division of powers between federal and provincial governments is spelled out in the Constitution, but that’s not the case for the territories. The N.W.T. government has gradually assumed control from the federal government in areas such as education, health, social services and forestry.
The pending devolution agreement comes after more than 11 years of negotiations, which included a 2011 agreement-in-principle between the territory and the federal government.
end
http://o.canada.com/2013/03/07/prime-minister-stephen-harper-to-announce-devolution-deal-in-n-w-t/#.UTneKb-V_jZ
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to travel to Yellowknife on Monday to announce the finalization of a deal that would cede province-like responsibilities to the Northwest Territories, Postmedia News has learned.
Harper is expected to announce an agreement that will transfer responsibility for managing public land, water and resources to the territory from the federal government, a process known as “devolution.”
The expected devolution agreement, which would render N.W.T. a de facto province, comes after more than a decade of negotiations.
N.W.T. Premier Bob McLeod’s office confirmed Thursday night there will be an event involving the federal government Monday in Yellowknife, and that the premier will attend. McLeod’s office did not confirm Harper’s attendance.
The agreement means tens of millions of dollars in royalties and other resource revenues that now go to the federal government will end up in territorial coffers. Those revenues are projected to increase as the territory’s mining sector expands, with its GDP expected to double by 2020.
McLeod and his cabinet visited Ottawa in late January to hammer out the agreement, which would take effect by April 2014. At the time, McLeod said the agreement was “very close” to completion.
John Duncan, at the time aboriginal affairs and northern development minister, told the House of Commons on Jan. 30 that a devolution agreement “will be an important and positive step in the evolution of northern governance and will deliver economic benefits to the Northwest Territories.”
“The benefits of devolution are clear, as we have seen in the Yukon. We want the Northwest Territories to benefit from this as well,” he said.
Yukon’s devolution agreement was signed in 2003. Nunavut has also started devolution talks with the federal government.
The division of powers between federal and provincial governments is spelled out in the Constitution, but that’s not the case for the territories. The N.W.T. government has gradually assumed control from the federal government in areas such as education, health, social services and forestry.
The pending devolution agreement comes after more than 11 years of negotiations, which included a 2011 agreement-in-principle between the territory and the federal government.
end
