NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Floyd Roland's father was born on the land and lived as a nomadic hunter. He told his son the day aboriginal people became recognized voting citizens.

Floyd Roland was premier when the Devolution-Agreement-in-Principle was signed in 2011 and had a self-admitted aggressive negotiation style. - NNSL file photo

"He said, 'Well, my boy. I get to vote.' To him this was a moment in his life when things fundamentally changed," Roland said. "We continue to write that history on a daily basis."

Devolution didn't start or end with Roland, NWT premier from 2007 to 2011, but he oversaw an important step in the process, with the signing of the Devolution-Agreement-in-Principle on Jan. 26, 2011.

"This was decades in the making, I was part of a big wheel," said Roland about his role. "The majority of members were always looking to move that agenda forward."

During Roland's government, the devolution process was "hot and cold." At one point the government went as far as to put it on the "back burner," which Roland said was due to the resistance from the regions with unsettled land claims.

"We wanted to show them we weren't gong to rush through this thing," he said of the pause in the process.

Getting to the point of signing the AiP was a challenge, as Roland's government tried to reach a consensus with aboriginal governments. That consensus has still not been achieved - the Deh Cho First Nations and some of the Akaitcho have yet to sign.

"It was tough pulling and we needed to get that file moving. What we did is we pulled regional leaders together in the hopes we would all get on the same page," Roland said of government consultations with aboriginal groups.

"When it came down to where we were in devolution, there had been enough talking, we needed to move onto the next step."

That after years of discussion some groups felt they had not been included in the process, Roland found disappointing. He said he accepts some of the responsibility for the shaky relationship with aboriginal groups, describing his own negotiating style as "aggressive."

In fact, it was that perception that played a part in his decision to step away from territorial politics as the government worked toward the final agreement.

"I had to make a choice to retire and one of the reasons was if I had stayed and took the chance we probably would not be where we are," he said of the present stage of devolution.

He has fresh memories of "people across the table who looked at me as being very aggressive and they might not have signed on as soon with me as premier. Hard feelings with a number of the leaders was evident and I felt that may detract from the end product."

Now serving as Mayor of Inuvik, Roland said he is happy with the devolution deal, comparing it to the one signed by Yukon.

"We pushed the envelope and got a little more than they did."

Could the NWT have fought for more? "A lot of us look at Alberta and say we want what Alberta has. Nobody else in the country has what Alberta has."

Even as a boy, Roland was told about the importance of devolution and the North controlling the North.

"I listened to leaders and elders talk about us needing to take control. Aboriginal leaders said we have to take control of our own destiny."

With the latest transfer of power in place, he is confident that NWT is poised even greater transformation.

"The North has so much opportunity and now we are talking about real opportunities and not just opportunities in theory," he said.

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