Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like all other Members, I wish to extend my congratulations to you. I know that you will do a commendable job in assuming the responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to rise today to make the Members here aware of a conference that is happening in Fort McPherson. It is a Gwich'in youth conference that has been organized by the Gwich'in youth under the guidance of a young lady by the name of Anita Koe. It is a conference that has received the support of the Gwich'in leadership. The whole conference is to deal with discussions on matters such as drugs and alcohol; education; spiritual and emotional health; and, the Gwich'in language and culture. Included in the discussion, Mr. Speaker, are a number of matters that need to be answered by the Gwich'in leadership. The youth have asked particularly the Gwich'in leadership to indicate to them what they are doing; in other words, to be accountable to the youth. And to also be open to the idea of recommendations and advice that the youth can give to the leadership, so that anything that they do in the future will consider the young as part of the decisions that are being made on a regular basis.

Mr. Speaker, this House, on many occasions, has risen and many Members have risen to speak on the importance of youth and the importance that this government and any other leadership must...In terms of their ability to respond to the needs of our youth. I think the conference is timely in that in our most recent constitutional discussion, we invited young people who indicated that they feel that there is a voice for them, a voice needed in constitutional evolution in the north and I think that it is important that we consider this.

I wanted, Mr. Speaker, to pay particular tribute to the Gwich'in leadership and all of the youths of our communities; more specifically I wanted to recognize Willard Hagen and Robert Alexie Jr. for their continued support and contribution to the conference. I also wanted to recognize a counsellor from the Tetlit Zheh Gwich'in Council in Fort McPherson, a young man by the name of William Koe who has spent a lot of time helping Anita try to organize the conference. But, Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague from Inuvik, Fred Koe, has also provided his support and I wanted to thank him for that. I wanted also to say that I hope that my colleagues will somehow recognize our need -- at least my need and probably the Premier's need...Mr. Speaker, if I could seek unanimous consent to conclude.