Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 3rd Session of the 12th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. During the session your government will be presenting its capital estimates for 1993-94 and other legislation including Appropriation Act, No. 1, 1993-94; A Payroll Tax Act; An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act; Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 4, 1991-92; and Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 1992-93.

Mr. Speaker, your government considers these bills essential to the good conduct of government business and I want to recommend passage of each one of them. Mr. Speaker, before officially opening this session, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere congratulations to the people of Nunavut who not only initialled the largest land claim in history, but successfully ratified the agreement only last week. All the people involved can be justifiably proud of a job well done.

---Applause

I would now like to commend you for your earnest consideration and wise judgement of business of this House as I declare open the 3rd Session of the 12th Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.