Honourable Members, first of all, I want to express to this House my gratitude for the honour which you have placed upon me by choosing me as your Speaker. It is a gratifying feeling to also recognize that you have chosen me, I am sure, not only for my attributes to be fair as a chair, but more importantly as the first woman Speaker of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly...

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...and the very first aboriginal woman Speaker in Canada.

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I graciously accept your trust to be Speaker.

My first obligation to you, however, is the traditional requirement that the Speaker ensures that the rights and privileges of all Members are upheld, and to ensure you are each able to fulfil your duties. The most important are fundamental rights, freedom of speech in your debates and freedom from interference in carrying out your duties. I can assure you that I will do my best to ensure that these fundamental rights are upheld, as are other rules and procedures that this House has adopted.

I am acutely aware of my responsibilities, and I will ensure that each Member of this House allows for the voice of the citizens we represent to be heard in this House. It is through you that the territories, as a whole, expresses itself and its legislature which tries to reflect the aspirations of the whole territory.

My responsibility is merely to ensure that everyone can speak freely, without constraint, but also within the rules this House has adopted. I will be cognizant of the rules to apply, however, within the purpose of enhancing freedom of speech, the very foundation of parliamentary democracy must be upheld. I take up this task, aware of my limitations, and will endeavour to fulfil exactly what role you are asking me to play so that this Assembly can work for the greater good of the Northwest Territories as a whole.

There is no doubt, some Members and some of illustrious media have indicated that the support for the Speaker's chair is to keep me from continuing my normal role in the House. I can assure all Members and the people of the Northwest Territories, through our media, that this is not the case.

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This has been one of the most difficult political decisions to make. Even though I may not be able to speak in the debate, the duties of a Member are not only in this House, they are in our constituency dealing with the problems of the people who elected us. There is no doubt I will miss the opportunity at times to speak in your debates, but I believe you all have the ability to debate accordingly and the results of your debates will reflect the spirit and the consensus and the for health and prosperity of the Northwest Territories.

I would like to take the time now to thank the constituents of Thebacha who were first to trust me by electing me and who, even now, I am confident, will still support me in my new responsibility. I would also like to say to my constituents that accepting the position of Speaker will not diminish my efforts to continue to serve each and every one of them to the best of my ability. I want to advise my constituents, I have met with the Premier to establish a protocol to ensure all my constituents' concerns are addressed. I am sure my constituents will be proud of the history we are making today.

I am particularly proud of our Assembly. Even before we moved into this building, we have tried to bring traditions from all cultures in the north, from language to decor. I can assure you that in the time I continue to have the support of the Members, as Speaker, I will continue the work which has been started, particularly where changes and additions are required to have our Assembly reflect our diverse cultural make up, I will continue to do so.

I would like to thank the Members of the Ordinary Members' Caucus for allowing me to obtain the experience of being your chair. We have worked out our differences when we needed, we've laughed together and I am particularly proud to have been part of the process for the Ordinary Members' Caucus.

Before closing, I would like to mention the most important people to all of us. These are our husbands, our wives and our children. I am well-aware, as we all are, of the time that we have to be away from our families, but I would like, on a personal note, to mention my husband Malcolm, our children, Clinton, Trina, Shelley and Melanie, for their constant love and support, day by day, without which nothing in my political commitment would have been possible. I might add that my daughter Trina has always been impressed by the term "Mr. Speaker" as she thought, because he had a big chair and everyone kept calling him "Mr. Speaker," he must be really important. I am not sure if she'll understand the term "Madam Speaker." Maybe we should use the term "Mrs. Speaker" so my daughter knows who we are talking about.

In conclusion, my ability to preside over this House ultimately rests in your hands. I will do my best, inspired by the trust and confidence that you have placed in me.

With that, I would like to thank you. For the remainder of our 12th Assembly, it is my honour to serve you as your Speaker. Thank you.

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Mr. Clerk, would you ascertain if the Commissioner would open the session.