Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to take this time to congratulate Ms. Glenna Hansen on her appointment as the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. I have known Glenna for a number of years, and I know for a fact that she will do a great job.
Glenna is not only a mother, she is a lady who is involved in aboriginal politics, and is also involved in the social and economic well-being of people in the communities, through her involvement in different forums, education boards, health review committees.
Most of all, I think one thing that Glenna brings to this responsibility as the Commissioner is her being an Inuvialuit, and a woman. Commissioners in the past were primarily men. At this time, I would like to say that having had the opportunity to work with Helen Maksagak, who is now the Commissioner of Nunavut, I considered it an honour and a privilege to have been involved with her during her term as Commissioner of this Territory.
Other people from the North, especially the Mackenzie Delta, did play a role in the past. We have had a Deputy Commissioner, an Inuvialuit, from the Mackenzie Delta, who also played that role. The past Commissioner, Mr. Dan Norris, who is also from the great Inuvik region, served as the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 1989 to 1994.
With that, I would like to extend all the best, and say again that this role, I feel, is unique because she is not only an Inuvialuit, but she is the first Inuvialuit woman to take the role on as Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. I look forward to working with her, and I ask my other colleagues and Members of this House to bring her in with open arms and work with her for the next four years, to make her job that much easier.
The benefit this brings is recognition to this government that reflects the unique cultural differences that we have in the North, and especially with the first Commissioner for the 14th Assembly. With that, congratulations, and thank you.
-- Applause