Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, my colleagues. First of all, I would like to congratulate the Honourable Don Morin for being chosen as leader of this government, and you, Mr. Speaker, as being Speaker for the next three years and a half, and all those candidates who were successful in being selected for the Executive Council of this government, and all those people who ran and were not successful. I know you will all put all your effort into making this government a better government and the system a better place for all the people of the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, I have never done this publicly before, but I would like to thank my natural mother who passed away when I was too young to get to know her. I would like to thank her. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my father who passed away -- my natural father -- when I was six years old. I never really got to know either of them. I know they are up there somewhere where there are no restraints.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my wife, Celine, for her support during the past six years when I have served as a Member of the NWT Legislature; my children; my stepfather who is now up there sitting in the public gallery. He taught me three basic principles of life: He told me to know when to hold back. He also told me to know when to go forward. He also told me when to retreat. I live by those three principles that he taught me.
Mr. Speaker, whenever there was a time for collaboration and cooperation between the family, between the people of this particular jurisdiction, the time is now. Mr. Speaker, whenever there was a time to seek wisdom from the elders, from the public, the time is now.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote some quotations from a very famous man by the name of John F. Kennedy, when he first became President. Whenever there was a time to quote something like that, I think the time is now. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." I think we should remember that in these difficult times. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause