Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker being a Member of the Legislative Assembly requires behaviour that instills trust and confidence by the electors in their elected officials. As legislators elected to govern the Northwest Territories we do our utmost to hear the voices of all people, to provide legislation, policies and services for the good of the people; to promote equality of all our people and to distribute resources fairly and justly. As legislators we will do our best to fulfil our duties to the legislature, the public, our constituents and our colleagues with integrity and honour.

To our constituents we owe our best efforts at effective representation as well as accountability, honesty, fairness and courtesy. To the Legislature we owe our respect, as well as dedication to our role in ensuring the integrity of our government and in earning through our actions the confidence of the people. We will not act, nor condone others in acting in ways which exploit, slander or discriminate against others. We will not act nor condone others in acting in ways which are dishonest or which exploit positions of privilege for personal gain. As legislators we acknowledge a vision and a responsibility to improve the life of our people and to strive to act in creative ways to overcome the hardships which destroy life and hope and the human frailties which fall upon us all.

Mr. Speaker, for the interest of the public, what I have just spoken are slightly paraphrased excerpts from our Members' handbook entitled Members' Conduct Guidelines. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over two years ago the people of the constituency that I represent, along with the rest of people of the north were asked to take part in a deficit reduction program to deal with the serious financial situation we are in. The people of my constituency did, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that they, like many other

northerners, have paid a price; and the community that I represent is in fact showing the effects of what that necessary program cost us.

Over Christmas I spent a lot of time going to a lot of functions and talking to a lot of people. I would just like to briefly touch on some of the issues that are of concern to the people I represent. Not surprisingly, the issue of division is of interest, but mainly from the focus point of ensuring that there is adequate goods and finances and resources available so that there is no loss to program and service levels in the west and in the community that I represent. Like most other northerners, the people I represent are interested in bread and butter issues. They know that there is a need for a strong private sector, and they want to see messages and indications that in fact we can accommodate them and work with them to develop that private sector. There is a very strong concern about the levels of programs in the communities that we in fact can maintain our health services and social services with doctors who start doing things like delivering babies. There is a concern about education, that for the last two years we have not been able to put funding into these areas and there has been a noticeable difference. The student/teacher ratio is up. There are concerns about adequate resources for textbooks. There has been significant changes in the need for jobs so that our schools which no longer, for instance, have a major investment in vocational training get people ready for trades.

We are now faced with a situation where, while we need tradesman, our schools are not in a position to be the feeder for that particular resource and requirement. Like my other colleagues have mentioned, all is not bleak and I maintain that division will be one of the best things. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I was in the process of saying I am making the case to the people of Thebacha that in fact division will be one of the best things that has ever happened to the west. At the same time, we are of course wishing nothing but the best to our colleagues in the east, but it is necessary for us to put a clear and positive spin on the situation that we are currently in and that while, as my colleagues have pointed out, there are temporary bumps in the road; the future ahead for us has many, many bright spots. It is up to us to make that very clear, demonstrate it to the people, and in the coming weeks, I hope the budget as well will reflect the need to take that direction. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I start with my Member's statement, I will continue with the tradition I have started by sending greetings back to my wife and all of my children.

--Applause

Mr. Speaker, hard times. Recently we have heard of the difficulty the mining sector faces today. We have heard two of the Ministers speak on this issue and how this government should do all it can to support this sector that is having difficulty. We have heard honourable Members talk about the impact of those difficulties. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that what I am hearing to me, is like good news. Government is finally hearing the people and trying to address the struggling situation that is going on, but Mr. Speaker, I have a concern as well, my concern comes out of the hard times the community of Inuvik has faced, that the region of Inuvik has faced.

Mr. Speaker, for 12 years the community I represent and region of Inuvik has suffered with declining work, with companies pulling out, the oil exploration business and production going down because it was too expensive. I cannot recall ever hearing of, or seeing any financial support, words of wisdom other than what was open to all the people of the territories. So while the Ministers in this government think about the hard times looking at the Northwest Territories right now, especially in the mining sector, I have always spoken about fairness and I say it is time this government looks at the whole of the territories. I represent over 3,000 people and they do not right now see a bright light in the future. Right now it is dim and it does not look promising. So when this government starts to look at what it can do for the people, I express my concerns and I say, remember Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to speak today about the passing of Albert Lafferty. Albert Lafferty of Fort Good Hope passed away at Stanton Hospital last week at the age of 91. Albert was a Metis who came originally from Fort Nelson, his family moved to Wrigley, then Providence and then in 1920s, by his own admission moved to Good Hope for three months to work as a clerk under the great grandfather of Ludy Pudluk, of all people. He spoke Cree, French, learned two dialects of Dene and had a very good grasp of English as well. He was generally a self- taught man and was seen by Good Hope as the resident linguist and historian since he was insatiably curious about the meaning of words, the history of place names and the way in which language developed. He had an impeccable memory, Mr.

Thank you. He served out the rest of his career working as a riverboat pilot for Northern Transportation and lived on a pension from that company. Albert was a very quiet and modest person who took a methodical approach to dealing with issues that were on him in a very organized way. The one thing that marked him apart from everyone was his intense appreciation for each and everyone he came across. He spent a great deal of time speaking with people, observing and taking time to assess the positive worth of everyone who lived around him. In a sense of humour apparently a member of the clergy went to visit him a week and a half ago at Stanton and asked him, supposedly to assess Albert's chances of getting past St. Peter. He said, Albert, did you do much charity work in your lifetime? Albert as modest as he was, did not hesitate for a second and told the clergyman, he said, more than you ever will. It is well known that Albert did a tremendous amount of work for people in Good Hope, for individuals who came to him and in his younger life, physically, did a tremendous amount of work and has always said his life-long commitment, even from being a very young man was to help and assist the elders in the daily things that they had to deal with. It has been with him all his life. We have to, of course, on behalf of the family extend their

appreciation for the incredible hospitality and treatment that he received at the Stanton Yellowknife Hospital. The staff who took care of him, the doctors and the nurses.

Albert gave his life to the people of Good Hope. He went there for three months. He spent his whole life there. He gave up his family, his people to live - and as we say in Good Hope - he came and he must have seen something beautiful amongst us because he stayed for the rest of his life. As a young man he came with hopes and dreams and he must have seen a chance to pursue those in the company of the people of Good Hope. On behalf of the people of Good Hope, I wanted to today record the love and appreciation we have for him and publicly acknowledge the tremendous contribution that he has made in his lifetime to the community and people of Fort Good Hope. Thank you.

--Applause