Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the information of our young people that are in here today, this is indeed a very historic day, because it marks two functions. One is the last day of the meeting of the Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories and those Members from the east who will be moving to Nunavut and this is our last day together. But, secondly, it is to honour the gentleman who has been our mainstay in this Legislative Assembly and has been our nemesis in many cases, and a great help to us. On behalf of all the Members on this very historic day, the last day during which our honourable colleagues from Nunavut will be in attendance here at the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Hamilton, I would like to thank you for your tremendous dedication and your commitment for the last four years that I have been here, but certainly many , many more years before that and the guidance that you have provided
for this particular House and the previous Assemblies, and Members of the Assembly.
Mr. Hamilton first came north on a whim and a fancy in 1970 and he said, pardon my language, why the heck not, and you children out there do not repeat me on that. He said that when he first applied for a job with the Hudson Bay Company, out of 500 applicants, he was the lucky one to be chosen and he first went to Fort Simpson, I understand, and then he went on to work as the settlement manager in Aklavik. He has worked in the eastern Arctic as well and in Cambridge Bay and some of the other communities. In 1980, Mr. Hamilton applied for the job as the clerk assistant of this Legislative Assembly in which he served for a period of time, and then he became the clerk. He went from a Bay clerk to the clerk in the House here and more appropriately called the Clark, according to Mr. Binx Remnant, one of his previous predecessors. For almost 20 years now, and through eight elected Assemblies he has worked with more than 100 different Members.
He has been generous, he has been very kind, and certainly he has been very patient. I have yet to see him lose his patience and he has seldom shown any kind of disrespect for any Member here. I would like to thank you, Mr. Hamilton, for your dedicated service for the many years and certainly, I would like to say a few words personally here; I came in four years ago and I would have been lost without your guidance. I truly mean that. It is wonderful to have someone with Mr. Hamilton's experience and knowledge to be able to go to and seek advice. He provides that sitting in committees as well. Quite often we are in a quandary as to what to do, and Mr. Hamilton's information that he puts forward, allows us to proceed again and to resolve our issues, differences and problems. I would like to thank you, Mr. Hamilton, for your many, many years of dedication. On behalf of all the Ordinary Members and I am sure, as the Honourable Goo Arlooktoo has said, on behalf of the Members and his Cabinet colleagues, thank you.
--Applause