Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to congratulate you and the Premier on being elected to your offices.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to use this, my very first Member's statement in this House, to thank the constituents of Range Lake for giving me a place at this table. Mr. Speaker, I am sure I speak for all Members in the House when I say what a singular honour and privilege it is to be elected by the public at large, and to be given the mandate to serve them in this Legislature.
As I walk through the halls of this great place of meeting, I hear the voices of my constituents, which guide me now and will continue to guide me throughout the days and months to come. I hear the voices of moms and dads talking about their children's education, of the teachers', doctors', and nurses' working conditions. I hear the voices of laid off Giant Mine workers talking about the fairness in the settlement of their pension and severance packages.
There are so many more voices, Mr. Speaker. Voices of small and large business owners and stakeholders, voices of women and men, youth, aboriginal and non-aboriginal, the weak and the sick, whose voices we must hear and act upon. Mr. Speaker, I understand my mandate for the next four years is to bring life to these voices and to work with my colleagues in and out of this Chamber to develop solutions to their concerns.
I also appreciate that behind you, Mr. Speaker, and the 18 Members of this House, sit 43,000 voices of our Territory, which also must come to life and be acted upon.
As I begin this task in earnest today, it is with a firm belief that it is our collective task to set the course of the path for our new Territory towards unity and prosperity, not necessarily because we have a common interest in all issues, but because it is in our common interest to work together for solutions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause