Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for this opportunity to speak today. First of all, I want to express my gratitude for the privilege given to me to be able to serve in this, the 13th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. I also want to congratulate the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Morin, on his election as Premier, and I wish to congratulate those who were elected yesterday to be our representatives on the Executive Council.
We are a historic group, the last leaders of the Northwest Territories as it exists today. In four years' time, some Members of this joint body of individuals will become responsible for the political leadership of Nunavut in the East, and the other Members will become responsible for the political leadership of the new territory in the West.
I am, personally, very pleased with the leadership that we have chosen and I am impressed with the capability of the individuals. We have the leadership and experience of Mr. Morin; the administrative skills of Mr. Todd; the capable abilities of Mr. Ng; and the wisdom, strength and forthrightness of Mr. Kakfwi; and, we have the freshness of new ideas in the new Members of Cabinet: Mrs. Thompson; Mr. Arlooktoo; Mr. Dent; and, Mr. Antoine.
We all have big responsibilities to fulfil and the challenges are tremendous. We have spoken together over the last few days about the heavy workload facing our Premier and the Ministers, the demands on their time and the stress on their jobs. It is important, therefore, for those of us not on Cabinet, to offer our time and to offer to share the workload, and it's time for us to all dig in. We want to be part of the team; that is what consensus is all about: It is about teamwork. The success of consensus government will be measured in the years to come by how well we all participated in the decision-making process.
We will face momentous changes in the next four years. Let us make solid and sound footprints in new snow -- if I may be permitted to borrow a phrase from the Nunavut Implementation Commission's report -- so that in four years we will have achieved responsible division of the NWT and created two new territories to the complete satisfaction of all northerners; that our young people can see a bright and healthy future with lots of job opportunities; that our communities and people are more successfully empowering themselves to find solutions to their drastic economic and social problems; that we have a balanced budget and put our financial house in order; and, demonstrated to our residents that we, too, have been financially responsible by having reduced our own salaries and benefits.
Northerners are looking to us for direction and example. Let us be healthy and responsible leaders, especially for our young people. Being a great role model is our collective responsibility. This is what I will do for my leaders, the people who were elected by us yesterday and the day before. If I am asked, I will help you make collective decisions so that your duties...and we can make the decisions not in isolation when it comes to major and difficult decisions. I will promise to be available, I will live by the code of conduct and I will work hard. Thank you.
---Applause