Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to extend my congratulations to you on your selection as Speaker-elect, and to the Honourable Stephen Kakfwi on his selection as Premier. I would like to say I have worked with Mr. Kakfwi over the last four years and I am prepared to work closely with him in the future, if I am selected to be on Cabinet.
I would also like to thank the honourable Vince Steen for nominating me. And I would like to take a moment to thank the people of my constituency for their trust and support. I would like to thank those who helped on my campaign, my family and friends for their support and for the confidence they have shown in sending me back to this House. It is truly an honour to serve in this Legislative Assembly.
As newly elected Members of the 14th Assembly, we have our work cut out for us as we start a new page in the North's history. Over the past week or so as we have started to meet, I have listened to Members. We have told each other about our communities, and the goals and aspirations of our constituents. As a group, I think we bring a lot of talent to the table and I sense a willingness to work together to make the North a better place for all.
The key reason I am running for Cabinet is this: I want to help move the Northwest Territories towards greater self-sufficiency. As it says under the vision in the Agenda for the New North, I believe passionately that the Northwest Territories should be a strong, unified Territory, taking its place in the federation and contributing to the prosperity of Canada. I am prepared to take a leadership position in moving things along. I want to ensure that our government works with aboriginal organizations to make significant progress on governance issues. We need to settle claims and take meaningful steps forward on self- government implementation. I am not tied to one set of ideas or to one set of advisors. I am ready to look for the compromises that make the best sense for all. And I listen. You have to really hear the arguments to know where the compromise might lie.
I like the consensus style of government because it allows us to make good choices without being bound to one school of thought. I want to continue the work that I was part of in the last government, to work with the familiar faces around the table as well as the new, to achieve the goal of a prosperous North, a goal that is within our reach.
We are sitting on huge deposits of minerals, oil and gas, the means to a more prosperous and self-sufficient North lying in the ground in our own backyard. But, as you all know, Northerners benefit very little from development of those resources under the current formula financing agreement with the federal government. We get no royalties. Of any new taxes that we receive from corporate taxes or personal income tax,
we only get to keep 20 cents on the dollar. That is not much encouragement for development. We must restructure our fiscal relationship with Canada.
In December, I told federal Finance Minister Paul Martin that I thought we could show him a plan where we would put more money into the hands of Northerners, and very shortly into the pockets of Canada as well. He said he was prepared to listen. With my colleagues in the previous government, Mr. Antoine and Mr. Kakfwi, I met and talked with aboriginal organizations, community leaders, chambers of commerce, and anyone else who would listen about our fiscal outlook and the need to discuss sharing control of resources and revenues. For us to get the federal government to the table, Northerners have to build a consensus first.
I believe many stakeholders are willing to come together to start discussions to try and build that consensus. I think I have helped stimulate the discussion about revenue sharing over the past nine months. I know the players, they know me. My experience can be an important asset to help continue this process.
As I said, we need new revenues to invest in programs and services that will improve the quality of life for Northerners. To me, education is the best form of economic development. Educated people have more opportunities, they are healthier and they are more productive. We need to invest in education and training now so Northerners are ready to take on the jobs that will be created in the resource sector, in secondary industry, tourism and the service sector. The number of workers we import from the south when we have such high levels of unemployment has always been a big frustration to me. The pace of economic development must be tied to when we have jobs and trained people to take those jobs.
We need more money in health care, not only to care for the sick and injured, but also to invest in programs and services that will help prevent those conditions in the first place. An investment now will save millions, not just in dollars but it will save an awful lot of suffering.
We need more money to help small business get up and running. Our small business sector helps create much-needed jobs and keeps local economies going. We need more money to provide economic opportunities and jobs across the North. We need money to invest in infrastructure. For example, why should Northerners not be part owners of a gas pipeline and reap the benefits for years to come?
We talked about the need to improve roads that we have and the need to build new ones. We need new revenues to make these dreams come true. These are just a few examples of where I see priorities for investing new revenues.
As a Minister in the last government I spent a lot of time working on the Agenda for a New North, and then discussing it in conjunction with our fiscal outlook. I think it gives us a good starting point to develop our own vision, but the key parts are right. There are strong linkages between new revenues, for instance, and getting governance right. It must be a priority for the Government of the Northwest Territories to work diligently with aboriginal organizations and the federal government to settle land claims, and to conclude self-government negotiations. This government must examine its evolving role in northern governments. How can we best serve the needs of the Territory? How can we best continue to develop and mature? There are important economic reasons to find ways to work together. For instance, bank and investor confidence and willingness to invest in northern business depends to a large degree on the stability of government.
I helped develop a vision that was brought forward by the 13th Assembly, and I am ready to get to work with the Members here building and developing a vision for the 14th Assembly. I believe that stability in the Assembly and the government is a must if we are to get on with the work that lies ahead.
We cannot forget that no matter what we are working on as Minister or as Members, we must go out of our way to give the public every reason to believe we will make the right choices. I know the importance of working together in the Assembly to achieve consensus. I know the importance of sharing information and listening to my colleagues. I have had an open- door policy during the previous two terms that I served as a Member, and you have my commitment that will continue. I have always been available to meet with Members. You have my commitment that will not change.
There have been more then a few times in the past eight years when there have been as many different ideas about where we should go on any particular issue as there have been MLAs. I often took a strong position and fought for it. However, I also worked hard to find the compromise that made the most sense. I remain committed to the ideal that a member of the Executive Council must be a team player. You fight for your point of view, but when consensus is reached you fight just as hard to achieve that consensus decision.
Cabinet Members have to represent all people of the Northwest Territories. I travel a lot throughout the North. While traveling, I spend time listening to and talking with people. I know first hand that we have a broad range of cultures and lifestyles in our Territory.
Life in smaller communities is different from life in the regional centres or the capital city. But we have many common interests, such as education for our young people, decent housing for our families, and a good quality of life for us all. We also take great pride in those things where we differ, those things that make us unique. And I respect that.
I hope that you will take a look at the job I did as a Minister, when deciding whether to support me. I have held a number of portfolios. I have worked hard and I am proud of what I have accomplished. I have put a lot of effort into getting new jobs and more training for Northerners. I worked hard for benefits for families. But most importantly I worked hard for a strong future for all residents.
I work hard to know my departments. I commit to you here that I will make it a practice to ensure that I do my very best to answer your questions when asked. I have done very well in the last Assembly in answering questions in this House. And I pledge to make sure I know my stuff well enough to continue that over the next four years.
Mr. Chair and Members, in spite of the challenges, I look forward to the next four years. I think we have tremendous potential. I say let us move forward. I would like to ask all the Members for their support for Cabinet. Thank you very much.
-- Applause