Yellowknife (Jan 10/07) - Rumours Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice would be moved to the federal environment portfolio were put to rest last Thursday after Prime Minister Stephen Harper shuffled his cabinet.

NWT Premier Joe Handley expressed some relief that Prentice would remain minister of Indian and Northern Affairs.

"We've got too many outstanding issues we've made progress on (and) I wasn't looking forward to doing an orientation (on the issues) with a new minister," said the premier.

So does this bode well for getting a revenue sharing and devolution deal done by the end of the 15th Legislative Assembly?

"We made a major step along with aboriginal leaders, who agreed we should work towards an agreement-in-principle (on devolution and revenue sharing) by the end of March," said Handley, adding he hoped to meet with Prentice next month.

Federal Minister of the Environment Rona Ambrose, who had been chastized by environmentalists and the opposition for inaction on climate change, got the hook from her post.

Ambrose has been replaced by Ottawa West-Nepean MP John Baird.

"I don't know how much (Baird) knows the North," said Handley of the new environment minister. "I'd certainly like to see him come up here to learn about, brief him about the North as we're certainly seeing the impacts of climate change in advance of the rest of the country."

Handley added he would like to see the new minister "put some teeth" into the Conservative government's Clean Air Act. Introduced to Parliament by Ambrose in October, the act would commit the government to achieving between 45 and 65 per cent reduction of 2003 greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.