Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, ullaakut, manna, honourable colleagues, Assembly staff, Madam Commissioner, Mr. Premier and all those listening via radio or TV across the North. Before I go on, I would like to say a special good morning and hello to my daughter Kelsey who is five, back in Arviat, and the girl who I haven't seen in the last two weeks. How are you, Kelsey?

I would like to give you a brief overview of my background and the challenges that I believe this Assembly will face over the next four years.

I come from a family of 13 and grew up in a small fishing and mining town in Nova Scotia. After high school I worked in various jobs· in the private sector, including mining and the construction industry. After five years of working, I returned to school to obtain a bachelor's degree from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and a two-year master's degree from North Texas State University in Dallas, Texas.

I first came north as the SAO for the hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. This was my first introduction to the North and to true northerners. I moved from Tuktoyaktuk to assume the position of the director of the NWT Housing Corporation for the Keewatin region. Here, I was responsible for the supervision, directly and indirectly, of approximately 100 staff and a $28 million budget.

Living and working in both the Western and Eastern Arctic has given me a strong understanding of the many issues we have in common as northerners and also of the uniqueness of people from different parts of the North and their concerns.

Since being elected I have expressed interest in a Cabinet position. I believe strongly that I have a great deal to offer and that my background has prepared me to do a very good job on Cabinet. My experience .in municipal and territorial politics and government, my employment in the construction and mining industry, and my experiencing negotiating with federal government agencies has given me a broad view of how various governments operate.

There are many key issues facing the NWT that should be addressed now. One of the major challenges for Cabinet will be to guide the government toward division of the NWT. My · combination of experience in both the Eastern and Western Arctic would allow me to take a balanced approach to the issues relating to division, recognizing the distinct needs and aspirations of the people in different parts of the Territories. The government cannot wait for the federal government to make its final decisions. We must be preparing now to be sure

that we are not left to play catch-up or ill-prepared for what is ahead.

Just as there must be a great deal of effort and energy put into preparing for the division of the NWT, I believe that we must dedicate the same amount of energy to ensuring a strong union and relationship between the new territories. This is crucial since we are only dividing the pie. We will remain neighbours, trading partners, business associations and, most importantly, good friends.

In the West, we should facilitate the continuation of the western constitutional development process. One key factor in this is settling the self-government issues in the West. The Premier along with the other Cabinet Ministers must do what they can to get the federal government to the table with the various aboriginal. organizations. Until self-government and treaty issues are resolved, it is difficult for the western process to move forward significantly. Without knowing what forms of aboriginal government will take place, it is hard to determine what form of public government is appropriate.

Another critical issue for the government is the financial situation. In years past, money was plentiful and the government could provide whatever programs it wanted to. Now we have entered a time when there isn't enough money to go around and to carry out the programs that we wish. Hard choices will have to be made. There will be a need for strong leadership from Cabinet to make the hard choices guided by the needs of the people of the North. We will need to actively explore both revenue initiatives and cost-cutting strategies to make sure there's no deficit in the territorial budget. We have a good start in the formula. financing agreement just negotiated by the outgoing Minister of Finance, Mr. Pollard. It is up to us to take a hard look at how we do business and make some meaningful change which will allow us to provide the level of services northerners need by living within our means.

There are serious social problems in many of our communities which is tearing at our social fabric, we all know about them: family violence, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, child and elder abuse, et cetera. In the 12th Assembly, the Special Committee on Health and Social Services brought many .of these problems to the forefront and into the open. The previous government began a program to address these concerns at the community level. We need to make sure this program is more than just words. Communities need the resources and the support to decide what their social priorities are and how to best address them.

The next Cabinet must ensure that the Cabinet works together to address the social problems from many different angles.

These include issues such as looking at the community options where communities can decide what punishment fits the crime and what will discourage repeat offenders and offences; encouraging local economic development opportunities so that people are working and feeling good about themselves; looking at the support for the front-line workers so they can remain strong and healthy for the good of their clients.

Education must also continue to be a priority for the new Cabinet. Northerners should be governed and cared for by northerners. In order to do that, northerners must have an education which prepares them for whatever they wish to do. We need to continue to promote education as the key to our future, both among our young people and those of us who take advantage of the adult education programs offered across the North.

Coming from a small community, I understand the desires of the people in the communities to take more control of government programs. We have to find a way to ensure that these programs are transferred to the communities, but with the support and assistance to ensure that they succeed in delivering the services. We also need to find a balance between local control and maintaining stems of service for all northerners. While there are many common threads, each community may need a slightly different approach to a similar problem. We must find a way to allow communities the authority and the responsibility to find their own solutions.

There are many other issues that I could speak about today that we will be faced with over the next four years. I think my time is coming to a close. 1 will close off by asking my honourable colleagues to consider my bid for Cabinet, and I assure you of my commitment to the Assembly, my loyalty and my promise to carry my fair share of the load over the next four years as we journey toward 1999 and Nunavut. Thank you, salamut, matna, mahsi.

---Applause