Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories as we know it will be changed forever come April 1999. Nunavut and the west will end a chapter in the book of northern Canada. We will go forward into a new era with much history between us and a future yet untold. We look out to a new horizon, with a new day before us. In the west, we begin a new chapter with a history yet to be written. Much work and many challenges lie ahead and the people are waiting to see what path we choose. Many question, what will we look like after the dust settles, once division is complete.
Mr. Speaker, in Nunavut, they have a picture of what their government will look like. They have set their boundaries and they know how many will be elected to their first Assembly. In the west, we have much yet to be decided. The constitution of the north is undergoing review. Many changes are being looked at and have been considered. The Premier announced, the work being done on western government is in the statement on a new agenda for the new Western Territory.
Mr. Speaker, I have often looked at the map of the Western Territory and compared it to a quilt. I draw this comparison because a quilt has many colours sewn together carefully by those who have shown the patience to put piece-to-piece and used a common thread to pull it together. I often ask myself, what will the common thread be in the new Western Territory? Is it the people or is it the needs of the people? Could it be the need to be successful as a new territory, to be self-sufficient, to care for our own, so to speak? Whatever it is, we need to show stability in the upcoming months. We need to show the people of the west that opportunity is still abundant for those who show the initiative to try and make a contribution to the north.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is time to move ahead. Let us not stand still and let the world leave us in its wake. We must be prepared to take advantage of the changes that come our way. The people of the west need to know that with all the changes that will come there will be stability, that standards will be maintained. For example, Mr. Speaker, elders throughout the territories who qualify should be eligible for the fuel supply subsidy. A student should be able to transfer to another school without concern of losing a grade. A driver's licence should be good throughout the territory. A health care card must be recognized, no matter what region you are in. A plumber's or mechanic's ticket should be recognized in any region of the territory. A social worker, a nurse, a teacher should be able to apply and qualify in any part of the territory.
Mr. Speaker, in a recent Member's statement, I spoke of change and I used the example of my father. It has been through watching the people of the Delta, like Sam Lennie, Edward Lennie, Billy Day, Hugh Rogers, Danny Sidney, Joe Teddy, Victor Allen and many others, including my dad, David, that I gained an insight of how people handled the change. Mr. Speaker, the change that these people endured, in my eyes, was much more difficult than what we face today. I have often listened to the stories of their days growing up in the north, before the days of power boats and snow machines or, as they would say, ski-doos. When their livelihood depended totally on the resources that the land and animals provided. When the accepted level of education was between grade two and four. Mr. Speaker, this was before the days of income support or social housing. In those days, if you needed a house, you built it with what you had available.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, they had hands on experience with a changing lifestyle. They witnessed, along with their parents and grandparents, the change from a subsistence lifestyle to a lifestyle that was driven by a wage economy. Along with this came new rules and regulations and new people with new tools and technology and a new set of values. It meant they had to learn a new way of providing for their families. In many cases, making a living was made easier. After all, not many would argue going from a schooner to an 18-foot Lund and 80 horsepower motor was a bad thing. Yes, in many cases, life was made better or at least easier. This change, however, did not come without problems and new pressures. Much cultural history and knowledge was put aside and with that many of the values one based life on.
Mr. Speaker, it is these people that faced the most difficult changes. They faced an uncertain future, but they met the challenge head on. They adapted and moved forward, many carrying with them the values taught by their parents and today still teach those values to another generation. It is unfortunate that the changes they faced came at such a pace and with a new set of values attached that it was difficult to carry forward the values of, some would say, a past generation.
Mr. Speaker, they faced the changing times in their homes on a daily basis. The people I speak of were involved with many different organizations, like the hunters and trappers, northern games organizations, traditional knowledge studies and most importantly they used, and continue to use, their skills when it comes to the land and animals.
Mr. Speaker, the winds of change are once again coming our way. As we heard in the Premier's statement on September the 23rd, this time the change is being driven by groups and government much closer to home. My hope is that we will take the time to listen to those who have dealt with past change. We might find that we are not too far from where they want to be.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to leave you something to think on. Like the big river at spring thaw, as the ice carves a new path in the ground and river bottom, change is inevitable. Thank you, mahsi cho.
--APPLAUSE