Mr. Chairman, it says my time is up. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and honourable colleagues. I would like to begin, if I may, by thanking my colleague, Mrs. Groenewegen, for her confidence in nominating me for this position. I also want to congratulate the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe on his election as Premier. I have every confidence that he will perform his new duties with the enthusiasm and the vigour his office requires and with a sense of fairness to all people in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Chairman, there are quite a few new faces in this Chamber since the 12th Assembly. I believe, as others have said, it bodes well for the next four years that we have such an enthusiastic and talented new group of MLAs.
For those of you who do not know me, I would like to give you a brief sketch of my background. I first came to the Territories at the age of 17 to work, like many of us, for the Hudson Bay. Although it just seems like yesterday, that was almost 30 years ago. There have been many great many, many great changes in the North in these years. And it's obvious from our discussions during the past week that there are a great many more changes to come.
During the past 30 years I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel and live in many parts of the NWT. For the past 20 to 25 years, my family and I have resided in Rankin Inlet where I was a businessman prior to formally entering politics as the MLA for Keewatin Central four years ago.
During the past four years as a Member of this Assembly I had the privilege of serving on and chairing a number of key committees, and in a variety of portfolios as a Minister in the previous government. Although I was not born here, I've spent all my working life in the Territories, raised my family here and it is my home.
I care passionately about the North and have a great deal of enthusiasm about working to build a better future for all of our people. That's the reason I ran for office and that's the reason I'm presenting myself today for your consideration.
I would like to share with you some thoughts on the way I approach political office, some of my fundamental beliefs and some of the priorities I believe this government must deal with over the next three and a half years.
I guess some people would describe me as an aggressive, type-A personality I'm told. I prefer to think that I'm passionate about the North, particularly about ensuring a healthy and prosperous future for all our people, both East and . West. I believe fundamentally that government must be open and accountable. Politics must be inclusive, not exclusive. It is only by involving people in the decision-making process by working together to identify our mutual problems can we begin to find solutions and explore alternative ways of doing government in the North.
I'm encouraged, as others have said, by the atmosphere of openness and cooperation that I have seen to date by all Members of the Legislative Assembly. This openness is apparent in the support for the new committee structure that involves all Members in the decision-making process, and in my view an important step in making our political structure more open and accountable.
I believe we must look for northern solutions to northern problems. This will mean doing things differently, taking a risk on occasion, but I've always believed that real accomplishments can only be achieved if you look beyond the status quo.
Mr. Chairman, I've always been a very accessible person. If I'm elected to Cabinet, my style will remain the same. I will remain open and accessible, not just in ensuring that I'm available to meet with Members of this House, but more importantly to discuss and incorporate their views into the decision-making process. What I cannot promise is that we will always agree, that is simply unrealistic. When we disagree, I
expect a good, healthy debate; that's our duty as Members. What I can promise is to listen to Members' views, remain open to new ideas and alternative ways of doing the business of government. I'm confident that through healthy debate in a spirit of compromise and cooperation, we can reach consensus on a great many of the issues.
Mr. Chairman, this is the type of approach and some of the beliefs that I will bring to Cabinet should I gain the support of this House.
I would like to speak briefly on the challenges we will face during the life of the 13th Assembly. Certainly the most pressing problem we face and one we've heard a great deal about during the past week is the fiscal difficulties facing this government during its term in office. The recent reduction in federal transfer payments have greatly reduced the revenues of this government and forced us to look at reducing our expenditures. At the same time, demands for essential services and programs are increasing dramatically in all our communities. It is clear that these competing demands to reduce expenditures andcontinue to provide essential services have placed atremendous financial strain on this government. Gone are the days when the federal government would simply foot the bill no matter the cost.
With responsible government comes the responsibility to manage our fiscal resources in a prudent manner. While the old adage that we must do government differently and certainly more effectively applies to the situation we currently find ourselves in, we must also find a balance on how we do government. We cannot implement dramatic spending cuts indiscriminately with no concern for the effects of these cuts on those in our communities who can afford it the least. While it's critical that we consider ways to do government differently by finding program efficiencies, reducing expenditures and eliminating waste, it is equally important that we expend the same amount of energy finding new revenues, repatriating money that we currently spend in the South, and creating new economic and employment opportunities for all northern people.
One of the most important and effective ways to deal with our problems, both fiscal and social, is through economic growth and job creations. The creation of a healthy economy is an important step in the creation of a healthy society. In short, I believe a healthy society is a working society.
Job creation and economic activity has to come from somewhere. For me, it begins with the development of our renewable resources and the non-renewable resource sector. Industries such as fishery, forestry and the harvest of country food provide important seasonal employment and economic opportunities in all our communities. More than that, the development and harvest of our renewable resource goes beyond mere economic benefits, but to the heart of our society. Northern people have always relied on the land and its animals for their survival, and it continues to play an integral part of our economy today. During the past several years, with the support of my colleagues, I've worked to design programs with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism to promote the development of renewable resources. I'm committed to doing this.
While renewable resource isa key component to our economy, it's clear that in any objective analysis responsible development of our non-renewable resource sector remains our best hope for long-term economic growth in the Territories. The magnitude of our financial problem necessitates that we look to the non-renewable resource sector and the volume of dollars that it can generate. It is my view that we can only realize the economic benefits, both direct and indirect, from these developments through the negotiations of a northern accord with the federal government. These are northern resources and it's northerners who should benefit from them. For this reason, I've spent the last 18 months discussing this issue with aboriginal groups to develop a common northern position on the issue. Although these discussions as of yet have not succeeded, I remain convinced we can come to some agreement amongst all aboriginal groups and the NWT to move forward with a comprehensive proposal and transfer the responsibility to the Territories. I remain committed to reaching a common northern position on this issue and moving forward in negotiations with the federal government. The
non-renewable resources in the Northwest Territories belong to the people of the Northwest Territories and they should derive the economic benefits from them.
While I am a strong proponent of Nunavut, it's my view that we cannot look at Nunavut in isolation of the new territory to be established in the West. Division is simply not the creation of Nunavut. Division, in fact, is the creation of two new territories. In my view, the work of this Legislative Assembly should be focusing on establishing strong, healthy, financially sound new territories for both East andWest.
Mr. Chairman, my time is almost shot. I'm asking for the support of Members of this House for a Cabinet post. In return, I'll promise you hard work, accessibility, hopefully a little creativity -- but it occasionally gets me in trouble -- and, more importantly, some humour. Most importantly, I promise I will deal with the concerns of all people in the regions of the Territories with a sense of fairness and openness.
Before I finish, if I may, Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank my friend, Mrs. Groenewegen, for nominating me for this House. On a personal note, 1 would like to thank Rankin Inlet and Whale Cove for the overwhelming confidence they showed in me in the recent election, and finally and perhaps most importantly, I would like to thank my wife. Thank you.
---Applause