It’s taken us over 18 years to get to this point, but we’re closer to self-government than we’ve ever been. The Elders always spoke about governing ourselves. They said we know our issues; we know what our people want and what they need. They always thought it would be wise for us to make our own decisions for our own community. We are very close to making that a reality now.

Things are going very well for Deline this year. The caribou are back, the Deline Land Corporation has done its first payout to beneficiaries, and MACA has decided to build new recreation facilities in Deline. For me, self-government would make this a really historic year for us and the start of a positive journey for our people.

Self-government is really just a tool to improve our lives, but it is a powerful tool if we use it well. Now is the time to get informed so we all know what self-government can do for us. I know the path self-government will open for us is the right one because it will put us back in control of our lives and, more importantly, it will allow our young people to be strong leaders in the future.

I’m proud to say that we have one of the highest proportions of kids in school in the NWT. Our students are going to Aurora College and to post-secondary schools all over the country. They are the future of our community and I have a lot of faith in them. With self-government, we can give them so many more opportunities to come home to.

Deline is going in the right direction. The future is ours and it looks bright.

Masicho