Please be seated.
Mr. Speaker, Premier, and honourable Members of the Legislative Assembly, greetings. It is my pleasure to be able to address you once again, but today is a day of mixed feelings for me. Sadness because today's assenting to bills will be my last official public act as the Commissioner for the Northwest Territories.
Over the past four years I have come to know most of you well and now on the eve of division, I must say farewell to some of you, and to others, we will have the opportunity to continue working together for the betterment of our people in a very short time. I was very moved by your kind remarks and the recognition you gave me last Tuesday in this House. The gift of flowers was beautiful and thoughtful. The traditional fur shawl and the beautiful picture of the Mackenzie will receive a special place in my new home.
Now, I would like to again express my heartfelt thank you for the opportunity of a lifetime to have served the people of the Northwest Territories as their 12th Commissioner. The experience has been both a challenging and rewarding one for me and has provided memories that will last a lifetime. I would like to take this opportunity to say a few additional thank yous. To the people of the Northwest Territories for your confidence in me and the City of Yellowknife for making this my home. I want to thank Colonel Pierre LeBlanc of the Northern Regional Defence Headquarters and his wife, Jane, for their personal care and friendship to me and my family, as well as to the Office of the Commissioner over the years.
I want to thank my aides-de-camp, Mr. Bettgar and Mr. Esligar, for their dedicated service, and a special thank you to my previous executive assistant, Russell Look, whose guidance and care helped me over the transition from Deputy Commissioner to Commissioner. Mr. Speaker, please convey my appreciation to all your staff for making my visits to this Assembly always such a pleasure and I wish you all the best for the future.
As Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, I am pleased to assent to the following bills:
- Bill 1: Division Measures Act, 1999
- Bill 2: Nunavut Statutes Amendment Act, 1999
- Bill 3: Legal Registries Division Measures Act, 1999
- Bill 4: Northwest Territories Power Corporation Division Measures Act, 1999
- Bill 5: Nunavut Power Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 1999
- Bill 6: An Act to Amend the Public Utilities Act
- Bill 7: Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 1999
- Bill 8: Interim Appropriation Act, 1999-00
- Bill 9: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 5, 1998-99
- Bill 10: Forgiveness of Debts Act, 1998-99
- Bill 11: Write-off of Assets Act, 1998-99
- Bill 12: Write-off of Debts Act, 1998-99
- Bill 13: An Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act
- Bill 14: An Act to Amend the Risk Capital Investment Tax Credits Act and the Income Tax Act
Thank you.
--Applause