Mahsi, Mr. Moses. Before I proceed to southern constituencies, I'd just like to recognize Chief Betsina, who is here with us. Thanks for coming.

---Applause

I'd also like to recognize, from the Tlicho Government, Chief Nitsiza and Behchoko Chief Daniels as well.

---Applause

Members, we'll continue with our southern constituency candidates. First on the list I have Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker-elect. I would first like to congratulate yourself and the new Premier-elect. I would like to say mahsi cho to... [English translation not provided.]

I'd like to speak on key issues facing our people across the Northwest Territories. If elected to Cabinet, the work that I will do are the changes that are needed and the work that must be continued. Throughout my speech, the theme is creating employment opportunities where they are needed most.

I would like to start with changes in the way we do business in housing. I believe that we must develop a strong communications strategy. We still have tenants who think that maximum rent in Housing Corporation units is 30 percent of their gross income, and it has been 19 percent since the last changes to the rent scale.

Our homeownership programs need to be revamped. The current suite of programs is not working. The people continue to live in core need. I will, as a member of Cabinet, work on actively lowering core need across the NWT, including Yellowknife. In addition, we must renovate seniors homes so that seniors age in place, to avoid spending millions of dollars that would otherwise be needed to place seniors in long-term care. Health and social services programs will also have to be enhanced in order to do this.

We must continue our work with the federal government, to bring more Building Canada funding to the NWT and continue work on our proposals to build a Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Tlicho all-season road and the road into the Slave Geological Province.

In our small communities, where employment is often seasonal, we must continue to work with the MLAs' committee on the Sustainability of Rural and Remote Communities to support the traditional economy and continue to offer world-class fur products on the world market. We must support subsistence hunting and put healthy food on the tables of people who need it most.

I feel we, as a government, must develop a youth strategy, a strategy for youth employment and youth development, a strategy for youth leadership and develop new youth programs. I feel that if we added youth officers to work in our communities and our regions, we would see tremendous returns.

This government must invest more money into early childhood development, such as midwifery, prenatal work and healthy families, targeted at aged zero to three and preschool. Most of the programs are in place, but they are underfunded. We should have more money available for daycares, Aboriginal Head Start. Recognizing that those are federal programs, however, there are tremendous returns in early childhood development spending.

We must review our programs to make sure that every dollar this government spends is spent strategically, so that we maximize our spending and benefit as many people as possible in the NWT. We must move the Akaitcho claims to an AIP within one year, and we must move towards the Dehcho claim in two years, moving that to an AIP.

We must work with the federal government, utilizing our Devolution Agreement, to clean up the 600-plus waste sites that exist across the NWT.

We must support small businesses to remain in operations so that they can continue to employ Northerners.

We must look at different ways of doing things in our correction facilities. We spend over $100,000 per year per inmate while they do not add to our economy by not paying taxes and not being productive members of society.

We must look at ways to deal with the taxing and leasing and renting of lands in the communities where it's still viewed as a strange concept to pay for their own land and pay taxes on property that they've owned for many, many years.

Our government must look at increasing our support to ensure that we are graduating students who are ready to be successful when attending post-secondary education, and we must remain in touch with our post-secondary students, to ensure that they complete their studies.

We must increase the number of summer students that work for the GNWT, and provide incentives to small businesses so they can offer a competitive wage when hiring summer students.

We know that addictions is a drag on our economy and we must find ways to address that issue.

In closing, I offer myself as an experienced Cabinet Minister. I have been a Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister for Seniors, Minister for Persons with Disabilities. In the last two years, I have served as Minister of Transportation, Minister of Public Works and Minister of Human Resources. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Mahsi, Mr. Beaulieu. Next on the list is Mr. Schumann.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I, too, would like to congratulate you and Mr. McLeod on your positions today.

Good afternoon. I would like to start by acknowledging everyone here today to the important journey we have embarked on. When I look around the room, I feel nothing but optimism. We have worked very closely in a short period of time, to bring forward our priorities and set the stage for the 18^th Assembly. I am confident we are on the right track. We have already laid the important groundwork for a brighter future, a future that will give everyone in the NWT a chance to prosper. I look forward to working with each and every one of you to make this happen. That's what it will take.

Our teamwork will either make us or break us. I think we've already laid the foundation to keep a good working relationship here in the past few days, but there are some key factors that will ensure our success going forward. This is where I believe my extensive business and governance experience can be a real asset to the Executive Council. A lot of us have already called for a need for transparency. I believe collaboration, consultation and innovation among us will also be instrumental in our success. I have championed this approach and leadership in every one of my previous business and governance roles. I also intend to champion here, if elected to Cabinet, what I believe will help and define the success of the 18^th Assembly.

Let me take a moment to tell you a bit about my background. Thirty years ago I moved to Hay River because of an opportunity. I wanted to raise a family and grow a business in one of the most exciting communities for economic growth in the North. I am eternally grateful for the continued opportunities that have kept me there. As a Red Sealed auto body journeyman, I started with a small auto body repair shop, which quickly grew into one of the largest sign manufacturing businesses in the NWT.

Like my other northern entrepreneurs, what I lacked in formal business education was learned the hard way, trial and error. I worked around the clock to get the job done, keep clients happy and run a profitable business. That's not a bad thing. I developed a strong work ethic early in my career because I had no other choice. My reputation and the well-being of my family were on the line. However, just like my new role here in this Assembly, I quickly learned my family wasn't the only stakeholder in my success. My business success also played an important role in the strength of my business community, both in Hay River and the Northwest Territories.

The livelihood of our local business communities has a direct impact on each and every person in the NWT. It impacts jobs; it impacts family incomes; it impacts the cost of living; and it impacts the amount of money we can reinvest in our communities. That's a big responsibility; hence, to underline one of my first lessons in the importance of collaboration. I took a more active role to promote the growth of my business community and town when I became a director of the Hay River Chamber of Commerce. I saw firsthand the impact that collaboration with fellow directors could have on our community. It's been rewarding to see our successes as a board translate into successes for the businesses, families and youth.

Similarly, I think we can have the even stronger impact on our priorities if we find ways for better collaboration within this Assembly. Every one of us should be seeking to collaborate with federal, municipal and Aboriginal governments. We should be working with the organizations and stakeholder groups within our communities, and we should be working with each other. Collaboration will be key to working smarter and faster towards our goals. It will also be vital to making sure we can create the relevant policies at the centre of health, well-being and the prosperity of our people and communities.

I think even new MLAs such as myself have already had a good deal of experience with consultation during our campaigns. This will be another critical factor to our success in this Assembly. We have already heard from numerous constituents, stakeholder groups and organizations about the issues at the heart of our communities. But the job isn't over. The truth is, it's never over. We need to keep an open dialogue with our constituents, committees and everyone here today. We have a duty to give a voice to every single person in our communities and to bring it right here.

Giving people a voice is one of the reasons I got involved as president of the Hay River Metis Government Council and vice-president before that. One of my proudest achievements at the Metis Government Council was overseeing community wellness contribution funding with the GNWT. I led a large-scale consultation to make sure the entire community could benefit from these dollars. I also saw the value in consultation in my work with the NWT Chamber of Mines and Aboriginal Participation Committee to help me give my voice to my community by sharing some of the real impacts on resource development on our businesses, youth and our communities.

The key part of our job in the next four years will be to maintain a strong relationship with our communities. That is the only way we can truly listen and give a voice to our constituents. We need to do the same within our Assembly. We must keep open dialogue between our Members, Ministers and our committees to make sure we include as many viewpoints as possible in our decision-making. It's the only way to ensure our efforts are relevant and consider the well-being of every single person in the NWT.

Our constituency very clearly voted for change on election day and we have to be held accountable to that. This is why innovation will be critical to defeating the status quo. I think we're all pretty aware of the limited resources at hand with the declining economy. We have to get creative; we have to get uncomfortable; and we have to think long term. As a business owner, I've always had the future in mind.

Innovation has been key to my success. With an evolving economic climate, it can often mean the difference between sink or swim for a business. It's one of the reasons I feel so strongly about investing in youth. Fresh minds bring a lot of value into a company. In fact, I've recently passed the baton to my star protégé, who has been running the show since I was elected as MLA. The young people are good at seeing things in a new way. It's amazing what you can learn when you stop and open your mind to new ideas and ways to doing things. It's one of the reasons I participated in schools with the SNAP program. It's a great initiative that connects youth with local apprenticeship opportunities to help inspire them to find meaningful careers within our communities.

I've also had the opportunity to work with youth in my role as the president of the Hay River Metis Government Council. I attended weekly student council meetings at the Diamond Jenness High School to mentor youth, the future leaders of our communities. It is these experiences that have helped instill in me the importance of innovation for longevity. The future is never certain. The only thing that is constant is change. That's exactly why we must value innovation in this Assembly that will help us set priorities that empower our people and our communities with the flexibility to adapt and thrive into the future.

Back into my community, some of the most respected peers refer to me as a man who gets things done. I take great pride in that. But I also know my success has never been the result of just one person. I'm looking forward to building a positive working relationship with everyone in this Assembly. Whether a Cabinet or a Regular Member, I am committed to bringing the same work ethic that has driven my business and leadership success to every task, and I'm also committed to fostering a working environment that's centred on consultation, collaboration and innovation. I strongly believe that it will help define our success as an Assembly and help set a positive, new direction for the people of the Northwest Territories.

Mahsi, Mr. Schumann. Before we proceed with the next speaker, I would like to recognize at this time Mr. Herb Norwegian, grand chief of the Dehcho, and also with us is the vice-president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council, Norman Snowshoe. Welcome.

---Applause

To continue on with the speakers from the southern constituencies, next on the list is Mr. Sebert.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-Elect. First of all I would like to congratulate you again on your election as Speaker. The election of a bilingual Speaker fluent in an Aboriginal language sends a strong message about our commitment to the strengthening and enhancement of Aboriginal languages and culture.

I also congratulate our new Premier-elect, Bob McLeod, on his election. Mr. Premier, in your speech last week and again reiterated today in the questions you answered, you committed yourself to more transparency and accountability in government. I think I can speak for the whole of the House in saying that we will support you in this initiative, and I look forward to working with you over the next four years.

Friends and colleagues, I seek your support as I put my name forward for Cabinet. I am committed to working through the consensus government system to realize the goals and visions articulated in our priority statement. We have set a new tone and direction for the 18^th Assembly and I will be guided by the priorities that we have worked upon and agreed upon this week.

When I was elected on November 23^rd, I was aware that there were many new responsibilities in my office, far beyond those of my constituency alone. That is particularly important for a Cabinet Minister who must take into account all of the wishes, concerns and needs of the whole of the territory, not only his region or town.

We need Cabinet Ministers who will look beyond the concerns of their riding, and I will, should I be selected to Cabinet, listen carefully to your concerns and advice, of all MLAs. My door will always be open to you.

I want to tell you a bit about myself. I was born in Ottawa and raised in various military bases throughout Canada and the United States. I have practiced law for almost 40 years, the last 31 years in the community of Fort Smith where I live with my wife, Anne.

In my career as a lawyer, apart from appearing in all levels of court in the Northwest Territories, I have served on the Human Rights Adjudication Panel, the Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal, Employment Standards Board and Legal Services Board. I was also involved in assisting clients in collective agreements.

Although I am newly elected to this body, I am not without experience in the public sector. I served for 14 years on Fort Smith Town Council, the last three as deputy mayor. I also had the privilege of serving for seven years on the Board of Directors of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation and was chair of the Audit Committee, which deals with such issues as budgets, for the last three years of my term.

I have also taught at Aurora College as a part-time instructor for 31 years. I taught mainly in Fort Smith, but also at the Inuvik campus on one occasion. I taught in the Business Administration, Renewable Resources and Social Services Court Interpreters programs.

This varied background, I believe, has given me expertise in several areas. I am able to deal with complex legal and regulatory issues. I am able to deal with and analyze budgets - we have very large budgets to deal with at the Power Corporations and somewhat smaller at the Town of Fort Smith. I have also had to deal with various educational issues, and as I mentioned, I have dealt with labour issues in negotiating collective agreements.

I believe that this experience would, should you select me to be a member of the Cabinet, give assistance in areas of education, finance and justice.

I spoke on Monday of some of the issues that were important priorities in the new government, issues of child care, justice, minimum wage, municipal funding. I know that you, my fellow MLAs, share many of these concerns. I believe that working together through consensus government we can achieve the lofty goals that we have set for ourselves this week.

I realize, of course, that there is a cost to many of the programs that we have spoken of, including the ones that I have spoken of, particularly daycare. While the fiscal outlook is not as rosy as it might have been a few years ago, I don't think this is time for excessive restraint. While we cannot spend ourselves back to prosperity, we should not abandon the programs which assist the most needy among us. They need a hand-up, not a handout, as I said the other day.

I was looking for where I got that quote and I think it was from Mr. Obama. I don't think it came from Mr. Trump.

---Laughter

I believe the programs such as universal daycare, increased minimum wage and housing will actually, in the long run, lead to a stronger economy.

I believe that I now have the experience, maturity and temperament to serve as a Cabinet Minister. I look forward to working with you.

When I walked out today at lunch, I saw something that I had not seen for the last two weeks: the sun. It is an omen. We have a great future ahead. I look forward to working with you. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Sebert. Next candidate for the southern constituencies is Mr. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. First off, I too would like to congratulate yourself and the Premier on your new positions. I know you both will do us well and represent the Northwest Territories with dignity.

Good afternoon, colleagues. I would like to start off with congratulating each of you for being elected to your respective ridings. I can honestly say, campaigning and then being elected as the representative for Nahendeh riding was a humbling experience, and I am sure each of you feel the same.

Looking around the room and knowing not only how much you did to get here but also all of the work that we have done together over the last three weeks, I can say I am very proud to be part of this team. The next four years will surely require immense effort from each of us. I believe we are up to it. The next four years will also be intense work, work which we committed to do on behalf of the people who made it possible that we sit here today, the residents of the Northwest Territories.

These residents also include people of non-voting age, our children and youth. As you are all aware, I am an advocate for youth development. Given the social challenges our communities face every day, every one of us has a part to play in growing our children and youth to secure our future. It is really that simple.

My life work has been in the field where the primary focus is on creating positive change in peoples' lives. I decided to run for office because I wanted to continue this work in another capacity. I feel blessed to be here and I have the support from the leadership in my riding. I would like to officially put my name forward for the Executive Council within this Assembly.

My speech today will not be about specific topics or priorities, as we spent the last two days exploring, debating and polishing them. Rather, my speech will give you a glimpse of who I am and the initial but critical work that just lays ahead of us and our team.

From my prior speech, you will have seen that I am a passionate person, especially when it comes to the territory I have lived in for my whole entire life.

I was born and raised in the Northwest Territories and have had the opportunity to work within 31 of these communities. I understand their unique opportunities and challenges that our people face. You will find that I am also passionate about these opportunities and challenges.

Every one of us represents a unique constituency. We were elected basically on platforms designed to address priorities that constituents identified. However, there are also common threads that are woven through each of the ridings. These threads unite us as a territory, much like the residents of the NWT is to our differences and our similarities that we create the best path forward. Indeed, we are a unique territory with 11 official languages and even more culture and ethnic diversity. As we create the path forward, we must respect our diversity, diverse history, our seniors and elders and all our rich, traditional culture. Our culture is what defines us, and while we move forward creating our territory's future, it will be through our culture that we remain rooted in our traditions.

Over my career, no matter my position, I have always strongly believed in an open door policy, and this will remain the same. As my platform stated, people matter. Their thoughts and ideas matter. Being accessible is, and will be, one of my priorities, not only for the residents of Nahendeh but especially each of you, my colleagues. As part of the Executive Council, I vow to listen. More than that, I love to listen, to understand each of your perspectives while working for the greater good of the NWT. I emphasize listening to understand, because simply listening is not enough. Too many assumptions can be made. Asking questions and doing necessary research will help me see your perspective.

In our new roles in the 18^th Assembly, we must be active listeners. I firmly believe that solutions can be found at the ground level, and often diverse perspectives offer the best and most robust solutions.

Throughout the last 23 years, I called Fort Simpson my home, raising five children, all of whom are young adults who have children who make the North their home. I've invested 23 years as a public servant with the Government of the Northwest Territories and five years with the municipal government. I have volunteered with many boards and committees from local to national levels. I have spent 24 years as a justice of the peace, presiding over matters throughout the Northwest Territories.

To achieve common priorities, I have worked alongside municipal and First Nation governments, and this must remain a priority. Collaboration, especially across governments, takes purposeful attention and continued investments. Great progress was made in the 17^th Assembly in this regard, but there remains work to be done. New relationships must be forged, and old relationships must be maintained. Collaboration is not something that just happens, especially across government, but it certainly should be more achievable with one organization.

Within the GNWT there are 14 departments and 13 agencies. Note I said “within the GNWT.” One organization with many areas, but still one organization. GNWT should be a model of collaboration, starting with this Assembly.

In fact, within this Assembly's website, under consensus government it states: “Compared to the party system, there is much more communication between Regular Members and Cabinet.” This communication and collaboration must be extended to all GNWT departments and agencies. Fundamentally, we are all one organization and we must work together holistically to achieve this Assembly's priorities.

In my extensive background in community and capacity building through sport and rec, I have firsthand experience not only shaping but also working within many complex and diverse team settings. It takes many different perspectives and a true collaborative effort to move forward on opportunities and find solutions to issues.

Our 33 communities are made up of people. It will be the health and well-being of our people which will determine the health of our communities. The role of the GNWT is to ensure there are supports and services in our communities, and ultimately to move forward, achieving the priorities we came to consensus on early this week.

What our territory needs are high-performing leadership teams, teams which are absolutely focused on our goals and objectives in order to achieve excellence. As the 18^th Assembly, I see every one of us as a valuable part of this leadership team. We each have unique and important roles, which also involve the honour of representing the people of our respective constituencies.

As part of my core values, I hold transparency and accountability at the highest level. There has been evidence that this has been evident throughout my life, especially within my career as well as my various volunteer roles. In fact, over the last year, my commitment and accountability brought me to pursue a graduate certificate in the social program evaluation with the University of Victoria and Carleton University. This educational pursuit underscored the importance of setting obtainable, and identifying, performance measures. To assist with accountability, I am an honest and committed person. I do what I say I'm going to do when I say I'm going to do it. This you can count on.

As we move forward to form the Executive Council and the various committees and structures with this Assembly, I would like to wish each of you a most inspiring and productive tenure. We are 19 elected officials working for the residents of the Northwest Territories. Let's keep that in the forefront as we lead our people into a healthy and prosperous future.

In closing, I would like to share that I am thrilled to be here to work alongside each of you. I personally would like to thank all the Members who put their names forward today, whether it was for Speaker, Premier or Executive Council. As well, thank you to all who will be dedicating themselves to work on the various committees. As I stated earlier, every unique role within the 18^th Assembly is valuable, important to the people of the NWT. I look forward to being an active contributor in changing the legacy of the 18^th Assembly, and I would be honoured to serve within the Executive Council. Thank you, mahsi cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Thompson. Continuing on to Yellowknife constituencies, we have four candidates. First on the list will be Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your recent appointment as Speaker of the 18^th Legislative Assembly. I'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Bob McLeod on his re-election as the 12^th, not the 13^th, but the 12^th Premier of the Northwest Territories. Congratulations. I look forward to working with you.

I've had an opportunity to spend a lot of time in the last couple of days standing before you, talking. I spoke for 20 minutes last Wednesday and I spoke for probably much more than 20 minutes today. Thank you all for all the questions that we had earlier today.

The commitments I made in my speech and the commitments I made during my QA period today, I'm still committed to. This is still an incredibly important institution. I'm still committed to working with each and every one of you.

This isn't going to be an easy Assembly. Anybody who thinks we're going to have an easy time is out of their minds. We have stagnant revenue growth. We have hard economic times in front of us. We put together a set of priorities that are going to be pretty darn demanding. There is a lot of hope in those priorities and we can accomplish that by working together, but it's not going to be easy. There's no way that even one of us is not going to get out of this 18^th Legislative Assembly without some bumps and bruises, but it means that we need to work together. It means that we must be united. We will have different roles in this Assembly. Some of us will be Regular Members and some of us will be Cabinet members, but together we can move forward on the priorities we've set, making hard decisions, and we will have to make incredibly hard decisions. I look forward to that. I look forward to being on the Executive Council, and that's why I'm standing in front of you today. I'm standing here today, seeking your support as I put my name forward for Cabinet of the 18^th Legislative Assembly.

I'm not going to talk for much longer because you've already heard me go on and on and on and on and I know you're tired, but I am committed to working with and for you and with and for all the people of the Northwest Territories for the next four years and well into the future. Thank you so much.

Mahsi, Mr. Abernethy. Next candidate for the Yellowknife constituencies is Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and congratulations on your position as Speaker-elect, and also congratulations to Bob McLeod for Premier-elect.

It's really exciting, actually, to be part of the new Legislative Assembly. This Assembly speaks of proactive change. Transparency and accountability have been themes throughout. It's also an honour to put my name forward for Cabinet, and I congratulate all the others who have put their name forward, as well, with the purpose of ensuring that the priorities defined by this 18^th Legislative Assembly are completed within the next four years.

I can't talk about what I've done in government previously, as this is my first turn at it, so I'm going to talk about who I am. I'm going to give you a small summary of what I see as my strengths, because I realize it's really difficult to choose a Cabinet when we've only had a few weeks to get to know each other.

I'll start by saying that I'm Metis, which for me represents a blending of cultures, and it truly represents it of the NWT because we are a blending of cultures here. This also assists in my always being conscious that I need to consider the needs of the people, all the people, with any decisions that I make.

Another of my assets is my 30-year history in business and financial management. As well, I hold a degree in social work for almost 20 years, and I brought two non-profit agencies out of serious debt into financially stable positions while, at the same time, improving service delivery.

This brings me to the topic of change. In thinking about what change really means to me, I think about a new way of working. I think about a way of working based on best practices and guided by principles of incorporating the opinions of all stakeholders, consideration of current research, and commitment to staying focused and working hard to meet the priorities identified.

I also have seven years' experience with implementing and maintaining accreditation standards. In order to maintain accreditation, an agency must constantly review best practices and regularly consult with stakeholders both for the program design and for evaluations. Transparency and accountability are a large part of accreditation as long-term plans with clearly defined actions to meet each priority must be developed, approved and evaluated on a regular basis. The actions accomplished are constantly reported to the governing board, who then define if the actions are appropriate or if they need to be revised. As well, I was responsible for developing two sets of policy manuals based on accreditation standards, legislative requirements and agency and stakeholder needs.

If elected to represent you on Cabinet, I will bring this knowledge and skill with me. As a Cabinet Minister, I will work closely with the committees established by the Legislative Assembly to assist in guiding my work and ensuring I am progressing towards the priorities. I will also commit to keeping Regular Members as informed as possible within my decision-making and my progress. As well, I will seek the expertise of each individual MLA, as we all bring a host of skills and knowledge to the table and it would be unwise for me not to utilize the knowledge that each individual has.

Although I say I will work hard, I must also state that it will be a pleasure working towards the defined priorities as each priority has not only addressed my concern and the wishes of the people within my riding, but they also represent all the people within the North, and it will be an honour to bring these wishes into actualization.

One of the benefits of being 55 years old is that I hold a wealth of experience and not only am I a strong leader and have the ability to actualize priorities, my education and my career choices have also provided me with extensive knowledge in the areas of human development from preconception to the aging population, child care provision and early childhood development asset building, parenting skill development and supports, literacy and language retention strategies, homelessness, poverty, marginalization, the necessity of food security, mental health, trauma, addictions, the reliance on the mineral exploration field, the struggles of small businesses, the effects of colonization and residential school, the need for indigenous self-governance, and working with community people throughout the North. This knowledge will assist me in addressing many of the issues that face the people of the North.

As well, I believe that for Cabinet members to truly represent the whole NWT, we need to not only meet in Yellowknife but to conduct business in all communities on a regular basis. Visiting each community is critical so that we can get a better glimpse into the strengths and the challenges of each region and recognize the diversity and similarity of each of us as northern people.

The duty of a Cabinet Minister is to work as a team and to take into consideration the needs of each individual riding and work towards the collective betterment of us all. It is therefore imperative that we learn as much as we can about the people we represent.

My vision for the 18^th Legislative Assembly is to address many of the issues long talked about but not acted on. My vision is to think outside of the box and consider the needs and ideas of each Member and stakeholder in deciding the actions I take.

It would be an honour to represent you on Cabinet, and I promise to work hard towards being as inclusive of each riding as possible and truly representing your wishes in the leadership position. I am committed to the North. My family moved to Yellowknife in 1963 and my partner and I will retire here. All of our children live here, and I will soon have grandchildren who I hope will make the North their permanent home.

The future of the North is important to me and I promise to do my best to make the North strong, vibrant and sustainable for many generations to come.

In conclusion, I again thank you for allowing me to put my name forward for Cabinet. In this short time I've had getting to know each of you, I have come to trust your judgment and I know that whoever you vote for will be the best person to represent the Northwest Territories as a whole. In whatever capacity I serve in, I look forward to working with you all in meeting the defined priorities and making sound decisions for the North.

---Applause

Mahsi, Ms. Cochrane. Next, Yellowknife constituency candidate, Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect, and congratulations on your acclamation to that position. I'd like to echo what Mr. Sebert said, that I feel it's a tremendous benefit to this Assembly and to the North to have a bilingual Aboriginal language Speaker in your role, and I look forward to working with you in that role.

Also, congratulations to you, Mr. Bob McLeod, for your strong leadership and more to come in the Assembly ahead.

On November 23^rd the voters of Yellowknife Centre answered my call to vote for change by voting for me, and change is what I represent here. As with Caroline, I don't have a long experience of previous Assemblies to speak about. This is my first time being elected to any office.

Why I want to be in Cabinet. First, an opportunity to work on our shared priorities. I'm not going to reiterate them, but what you've heard is that we want a better life for the people of the NWT. Not just people in Yellowknife but people in the small communities and the regional centres. We know they have tremendous needs and we know that our job is to find ways to meet them within the money that we have available.

I also am running for Cabinet to improve the communications between the Cabinet and the Regular Members. We've heard lots about how that communication was not very effective in the last Assembly and that there was a polarized House. It's my ambition to work collaboratively so that we are if not of one mind, at least of one purpose, and that we are effective together rather than at one another's throats.

I'm also very interested in being a strong voice for creating the government-to-government relationship that we heard so much about on Saturday from Aboriginal governments, to be a strong voice for women, to talk about the unique role of downtown Yellowknife in the life of the whole territory, and to work on behalf of vulnerable populations across the NWT.

About myself, I stand here living the immigrant dream. All of my grandparents were servants in stately homes in England. One was a gardener, one was a nanny, one was a chauffeur and another one was a cook. My family came here when I was a child, and it's obviously the best thing they ever did for me. This would not have been my life had I remained in England. But by coming to Canada, I became the first person in my family to go to university. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, a Master of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in Journalism before I was convinced I could really do it. I am also a proud lifelong learner, most recently this year earning a Certificate in Fundraising Management from Ryerson University.

What you will get from me is evidence-based decision-making. That is the person that I am. I do the research, I do the reading and I provide good analysis of what I've learned.

I was able to develop tremendous skills and knowledge through my career at the CBC, where I worked for 16 years, primarily in Labrador, also briefly in Nunavut and then, finally, here for the last nine years of my CBC career. In all that time, I used information that I had acquired in my Master's Degree in History to cover resource development, particularly mining. That was coal in Cape Breton, nickel in Labrador and then diamonds when I arrived here. I feel that I have a very solid base of information about mining economies like our own on which we depend.

From the CBC, as many of you know, I went into the non-profits and specifically into the YWCA. There I had a tremendous lesson in the needs of vulnerable populations in the Northwest Territories. Although many of the YWCA services are based here in Yellowknife, many of the clients are not and their needs are in common, no matter where they come from, with issues of homelessness, a lack of skills in various areas and instability in their lives. It was a tremendous opportunity to learn about these people and to figure out how to help them.

In the time that I was with the Y, I had several very large projects. One was to organize the annual meeting of the YWCA of Canada here in 2011, which brought women from the 33 member organizations of the YWCA here to Yellowknife to learn what we do within this unique environment and how different it is from where most of them came from.

I also did the fundraising for furnishing Lynn's Place in getting Lynn's Place up and running as transitional housing for women. That was a tremendously large project. I didn't do it on my own, but I certainly am proud of my leading role in that.

Then, finally my last substantial project for the Y was to help resettle the families who were burned out of the Polaris Apartment building in June. Somehow we were able to find furniture for those 17 families and get them set up with new beds in their own homes within a week.

So, what I want you to know is that I am quick on my feet and I can get things done.

During the time after I left the CBC, I became very interested in advocacy on issues around poverty. I participated in volunteer work on the Northern United Place Board, which is one of the largest non-profit housing providers in Yellowknife, and also on the Yellowknife Housing Authority, which is the largest of those providers, and on the city Social Issues Committee.

During this time, my partner started a business and, as with many businesses, it is primarily an owner-operated business and it is on demand, so we learned how to write a business plan, we learned how to run the business and to get up at four o'clock if need be, at four in the morning to answer a call for service. I am tremendously proud of that business as it has made it past the critical five-year mark, now in its eighth year of operation. I have also operated my own business as a consultant for the last three years.

I have an excellent history of working together, mostly recently on anti-poverty initiatives. I worked with then-Minister Glen Abernethy, with chiefs, municipal councillors and other people to create the Anti-Poverty Strategy. This was a new departure for the government in bringing people from outside of government to help write a strategy. It wasn't without its bumps, but 20 drafts later we were able to table a document that we all could support and we were all still talking to one another. It was a great process and I am very proud of the accomplishment of both the strategy and the action plan that was tabled earlier this year and the ongoing funding of the Anti-Poverty Fund which provides for grassroots action on poverty, that pilots new approaches and challenges.

What happens now is that we need, in addition to our other stated priorities, to open a public conversation on consensus. We need to have this conversation with the public in order to build their confidence in this system of government which they felt was tested in the last Assembly and before.

We need to support the mid-term review of the Executive Council and also of the Premier so there is additional accountability for the public and for ourselves that we are, in fact, making progress on the mandate that we set for ourselves. We need to make decisions, explain them and listen. This needs to be an Executive Council, and I am prepared to do my part in making it open, accountable, results-oriented and available to the Regular Members.

In summary, what I offer you is the ability to work hard, my integrity, a results-based orientation, strong team work. What I have to tell you is that I have made no promises and I have had none made to me. I stand here on my own merits as a contender for a position on Executive Council. Thank you.

Mahsi, Ms. Green. Now we have proceeded through to the last and final speaker, our Yellowknife constituency candidate, Mr. Vanthuyne.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I was officially that last elected MLA to this Assembly due to a recount, and with a name like Vanthuyne, I better get used to speaking last.

First, like most, I want to take this opportunity, or like everybody, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate yourself for becoming Speaker of this House. We look forward to your oversight of this Chamber and the 18^th Legislative Assembly. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Bob McLeod being elected as Premier of our territory for a second term, and I look forward to seeing his leadership guide us over the next four years.

I also want to congratulate and commend Mr. Glen Abernethy for letting his name stand.

Speaker-elect, in this Chamber each of us represents a number of different views, and of course, we reflect the concerns and needs of our respective constituents. Over the past couple of weeks we have come together here at the Legislative Assembly to share the views, opinions and perspectives in an effort to define and describe our territory's future.

I know that you can all agree, as Northerners, that it is important that we unite in a common vision for a great territory. But now, in order to deliver upon that vision, we must set a mandate and match that mandate with a budget. The majority of that task will fall to the Executive Council to conduct, and that is why we are here today to select amongst our colleagues those who will be responsible for carrying out the Caucus-approved mandate and delivering the many approved programs, services and infrastructure that we're required to build that common vision for a great territory along with full participation and oversight of all Members.

I am pleased to announce today that after long and careful consideration, I have decided to let my name stand for a Cabinet position on Executive Council.

Having now served Yellowknife for two terms as a city councillor and having contributed to a number of non-profit boards and volunteering for many local charities and having owned and operated two successful businesses, I have reached a time in my life where I want to be involved in the process of effecting positive change.

I believe I am a person of integrity and I am letting my name stand for the right reasons. I believe my colleagues see me as an authentic and down-to-earth person, and I want the job not to serve myself but to work collaboratively with all my colleagues to solve problems with effective solutions and improve the quality of life for all Northerners.

As a lifetime resident of the North, I have always envisioned myself as being a hardworking representative in this Assembly who will work diligently to protect our territory's best interests. I have a passion for helping others and I believe I have the ability to improve lives and change minds, to change the way people think, and that is why I believe I can help set our territory on the right course for a better future, a better way.

As we are all committing to, my goal is to work toward and promote a government committed to transparency and collaboration. As a leader for positive change, I will value inclusiveness, creative ideas, and I will champion social, environmental and fiscal responsibility.

I believe that my diversified background will serve me well if selected for the Executive Council. My work experience includes apprenticeship training in two trades, carpentry and cabinet making. I emphasize “cabinet making.”

---Laughter

I spent time as a mill and autoclave operator at Con Mine in the early ‘90s. In the mid-90s, I decided to go back to school and received an associate degree in management and took that education into the sports and recreation industry for nearly 10 years and a golf operations management. In 2003 I made a career shift and decided to combine my past construction knowledge along with my education and management experience and focused my skills on becoming a project manager. I would like to share with you some of the employers that I worked for and projects that I have been responsible for over the last number of years.

I started with Tlicho Logistics back in 2004 as a project coordinator responsible for small to mid-sized projects that ranged in value from $50,000 to $500,000. Projects included the new office location that Tlicho Investments Corporation is located in currently, to old mine remediation projects like the Salmita cleanup project up in the tundra near McKay Lake.

I then moved to ATCO North, a large electrical/mechanical contractor where I was project manager responsible for overseeing four different contracts up at the Snap Lake diamond mine during construction phase. These contracts ranged in value from $250,000 to $2 million and managing a workforce of roughly 35 employees.

Upon completion of the mine construction, I took a general manager's position with a local business called Energy Wall and Building Products. Although the projects we did were much smaller in nature and value, the objective I was tasked with was redeveloping the business plan for the company so they could start doing contract work for the mines. Aside from general management, my duties included developing a new quality assurance and quality control plan as well as a health, safety and environment plan.

Sometime after, I joined the North Slave district office for the NWT Housing Corporation as their manager of technical. Here is where I took a rather large leap in responsibility. As the North Slave district, I was responsible and accountable for the management of new housing construction as well as housing operation and maintenance for eight communities. This included three district project managers and arm's-length oversight of all the local housing organizations' maintenance operations. The annual budget for the new construction at that time was roughly $12 million and annual operating and maintenance budget was roughly $3.5 million. It was during my time here that I built many positive relationships within the communities we serve.

In 2009 I was elected to city council. I soon discovered it was difficult to be an elected official for one order of government while being employed by another due to the many issues having overlap and causing conflict, thereby inhibiting my ability to serve the residents of Yellowknife to the extent I felt needed to do so. So in 2010 I took a big risk. I founded my own consulting business, called CORVAN Consultants Limited, and started providing professional services in project management, business development and technical services to a number of clients and corporations for the next five years. For me, this was exciting work. I developed business plans, negotiated joint venture partnerships, managed projects, facilitated workshops, wrote numerous proposals and even, in one instance, was hired to settle a dispute. On many occasions I would join existing project teams to provide specific services, either in technical writing or in developing construction methodology for any given project. These are commercial projects ranging in value from $2 million on up to $40 million.

I also provided these services up and down the entire territory, and through doing so, I built a number of positive working relationships with many individuals, businesses, band councils and community governments over the years.

Politically, as mentioned, I served two terms as a Yellowknife city councillor and two years as deputy mayor. Much like our roles here, we were responsible for setting the strategic direction of the city through goals and objectives and developing a budget to operate from and being accountable to that strategic plan. The City of Yellowknife's annual budget was roughly $65 million.

As you can see, my experience crosses a number of industries with each new role gaining more experience and responsibility. As each new endeavour arose, it allowed me the opportunity to grow and build relationships throughout the territory, and of course, none of the outcomes from these experiences would have been possible without collaboration and teamwork, and that is what I look forward to doing with all of you, working together to serve proudly the residents of the Northwest Territories.

Members, I will close by saying I want us to lead the NWT into a prosperous future, capable of facing new realities while valuing our past accomplishments and the richness of our diverse history and culture. I want to see us pursue new opportunities and initiatives. I want to see our people energized by imagination and motivated by the optimism and belief that our vision for a greater territory will be successfully realized.

No matter where my feet land in the Legislative Assembly, I consider myself fortunate and grateful to be here amongst you and look forward to proudly representing the constituents of Yellowknife North and the territory in the most effective way I possibly can. Thank you to all those who put their names forward and who have spoken here today. I wish you the best of luck. Thank you, Members, for your consideration, and thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

At this time Members are now asked to proceed to the Clerk's Table to receive three ballots, one for a northern candidate, one for a Yellowknife candidate and one for a southern candidate. Please proceed to the voting booth to mark your ballots and then place them in the box located in front of the Clerk's Table.

---Voting Commences

Are there any more Members wishing to vote who have not voted yet? Seeing none, I will proceed with my vote.

---Voting Commences

I declare the voting process closed. The ballot box will be taken to the Clerk's office where the ballots will be counted. The bells will be rung for five minutes to bring the Members back, once the results are determined. Mahsi.

---SHORT RECESS

Mahsi, Members. Before I proceed to the next step, I would just like to recognize some people who are a long ways from home who are here with us today. They are Paulatuk residents Noel Green, Julie Green and Mary Marsh. Welcome to the Assembly. Mahsi.

---Applause

Members, it is my duty to announce that two candidates have received 10 votes in the southern constituencies and that there is a tie for the fewest amount of votes. According to the agreed upon procedures, all names will remain on that ballot for the next round of voting for the southern constituencies.

As well, it is my duty to announce that you have elected two individuals to represent the northern and Yellowknife constituencies. However, as per our agreed upon procedures, the names of those four individuals will not be announced until all representatives have been determined.

Before we proceed to the vote, are there any nominees wishing to withdraw at this time? There being no such withdrawals, the southern constituency ballots are available before you. Please proceed to vote.

---Voting Commences

Are there Members who haven't voted yet? Seeing none, I will proceed with my vote.

---Voting Commences

Members, I declare the voting process closed. The ballot box will now be taken to the Clerk's office where all the ballots will be counted. The bells will be rung for five minutes to bring Members back in, once the results are determined. Mahsi.

---SHORT RECESS

It is my duty to announce that there is a need for a third ballot for the southern constituencies. The nominees for the third ballot are Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Schumann, Mr. Sebert.

Before we proceed to the vote, are there any nominees wishing to withdraw at this time? There being none, the ballots are available as before. Please proceed to vote.

---Voting Commences

Are there any more Members wishing to vote who have not yet voted? There being no one else wishing to vote, I will proceed to vote myself.

---Voting Commences

Members, I declare the voting process closed. The ballot box will now be taken to the Clerk's office where the ballots will be counted. The bells will be rung for five minutes to bring the Members back in, once the results are determined. Mahsi.

---SHORT RECESS

Mahsi, Members. Thanks for being patient and going through the process. It's been a long day but finally we do have some names of the candidates for the three constituency areas.

First and foremost for the northern constituencies: Robert C. McLeod, Mr. Alfred Moses.

---Applause

For the southern constituencies two names came forward: Mr. Wally Schumann and Mr. Lou Sebert.

---Applause

Last, but not least, for the Yellowknife constituencies, two names came forward: Mr. Glen Abernethy and Ms. Cochrane. Congratulations.

---Applause

Mahsi, Members. Congratulations to the new Cabinet-elect. These individuals will be recommended for appointment to the Executive Council by way of formal motion in the House tomorrow. I would like to thank everyone for their contribution and participating today.

This meeting of the Territorial Leadership Committee is concluded. We are adjourned. Mahsi cho.

---ADJOURNMENT