Mr. Speaker...(English not provided)...opening remarks. I would like to thank the people of the North Slave riding to elect me back here again after being absent for the last 20 years. I served in the Legislature back in 1970 to 1975. When I first ran back then, I guess I promised them that I would be speaking my own native language to make my opening remarks. I did that back then when we never used
interpreters at that time, but I was fortunate enough to speak my own native language just for brief moments at that time.
Now I would like to do that again, and these are just my own written comments that I would like to make regarding congratulating the new Premier and the outgoing Premier who served for many years and who had a good relationship with the Dogrib people within my constituency. Certainly, like the rest of my colleagues, I would like to congratulate Sam on being re-elected to the Speaker's Chair again, and also the new Cabinet Ministers being selected to this Assembly. I was fortunate enough to be one of the Members to be able to elect the Premier. How I voted was because the people within my riding wanted me to vote for a particular person that they wanted to be voted in. Including the Cabinet Ministers, I think I did the very same thing too because I promised them that I would be able to vote for the Cabinet Ministers of their choice. I don't think they got them all in there, but I think they got the majority of people who they wanted on the Cabinet. I think they all got voted in.
Now I would like to make that brief remark in my own native language.
(Translation) I wish to thank the four Dogrib communities for having elected me as their MLA for the next three and a half years. Today, we are to express our interest in various committees. I am very much interested in sitting on the Standing Committee on Resource Management and Development. I would have the opportunity to focus on economic development programs and services. We are interested in delivering and initiating our own economic development programs in all four of our communities. This would enable us to exercise independence financially in the long term.
We have interest in renewable resource programs. Forest fires and their effect on our land and animals have become serious issues for us because it affects our ability to hunt and trap. We would like to find ways to reduce forest fires in our area.
I am also interested in sitting on the Standing Committee on Infrastructure. I am interested in examining policies, administration and expenditures in the departments, and reviewing the performance of the departments. We want to ensure that departments are delivering the programs and services equitably across the Northwest Territories, that expenditures do not exceed costs allocated, and that a deficit does not accompany division of the Territories.
I have a high interest in who is getting hired, not only in the North, but in my area. I don't know two people who got hired from outside the Territories who have retired in my Dogrib area.
I'm interested in safety in the workplace. Transportation is another concern we have. The road between Rae-Edzo and Yellowknife has taken many lives over the years. Mining is an area of concern for our people. There is much discussion about benefit packages and the affirmative action hiring policy, but then BHP does not expect that an aboriginal person can be a senior manager within a period of 10 years.
I'm interested in sitting on the Standing Committee on Government Operations. I'm interested in those issues that have a broad impact, government wide. I'm interested in the budget and fiscal framework of all departments and other related public boards and agencies. I'm interested and want to be part of the operation that ensures that this government abides by the Deficit Elimination Act. This act is supposed to come into force April 1, 1996, and the budget is supposed to remain balanced for three years. I don't want this government to force a deficit on the two new governments when division takes place.
---Applause