Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too, would like to take this occasion to say a few words to those Members who are departing, but before that, Mrs. Groenewegen, I had a little bit of concern when this afternoon started. I thought the west had come out on the short end of the stick when it came to division of assets and liabilities.
--Laughter
I was a touch concerned.
I too, would like to express my thanks to Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Schauerte and Mr. Inch as they have very ably served all of us in this House. I know I could not have accomplished nearly as much as I have without their assistance.
Mr. Speaker, in a few days this House will change significantly with the Members from Nunavut leaving us. I know that many of the Nunavut Members are going on to form a new government. They face many challenges associated with setting up a new administration. I talked to some of the Members who have been elected to Cabinet and they have expressed to me how they realize now that there is still an immense amount of work to do to get the administration in place. I know that very soon they will find out, Mr. Ng, that there is never enough money. I am sure that in spite of the fiscal negotiations that have taken place it will continue to be a challenge. I am confident, Mr. Speaker, that the people who are moving on to the government and the people of Nunavut are ready to face those challenges. I am also sure that they will live up to the expectations of the residents of Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, the interesting thing that will happen in this chamber is that I think the tenor of the debate will change somewhat. Having the Nunavut Members here with us has affected the style of our debates in this House. Some have said they think our debates will become more focused; but perhaps they will become more fractured, I do not know. We will have to work to find some way to bring back the stabilizing influence that will be missed. Mr. Speaker, I certainly will miss our colleagues from Nunavut. I am also going to miss the opportunities that being part of a bigger territory has brought us all to travel across this immense and beautiful part of Canada and visit with a unique and varied population. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.