Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to address you, my colleagues in this Assembly, and the people of the Northwest Territories. As we commence the Third Session of this 14th Assembly this week, we begin the important work needed to review and approve the budget for the 2000-2001 fiscal year, announced yesterday in this House by the Honourable Joseph Handley, Minister of Finance.

I would like to take a moment at the outset to congratulate Minister Handley and his staff for their hard work. They have brought forward a budget that acknowledges our fiscal challenges and puts forward responsible measures to deal with these challenges while we work towards a new fiscal relationship and to secure additional sources of revenue that will see us into the future.

I would also like to acknowledge that today, June 21st, is National Aboriginal Day, a day to recognize and celebrate aboriginal people and cultures. Later today, the Honourable Jim Antoine, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, will be making a statement in this House regarding National Aboriginal Day.

Mr. Speaker, it was four months ago, on February 22nd to be precise, that I last addressed this Assembly. I outlined for you the aspirations and expectations of our constituents for a society:

• • where our children can grow and prosper and where our elders can live in comfort and be respected for their contributions; and
• • where individuals and their families will be healthy and living in communities that are rooted in cultures and languages which flourish.

I described our desire for an economic climate in which:

• • NWT people and their governments make decisions regarding land use, development, resource management and the protection of the environment;
• • our residents benefit from private sector development and where they use revenues raised in the NWT to reduce our dependence on federal transfer payments; and
• • important infrastructure, such as the roads connecting our communities, is developed.

In February, my Cabinet colleagues and I recognized that people of the NWT want to be governed by institutions that are:

• • bound together by a sense of unity and identity that inspires aboriginal and territorial governments to work in partnership for the good of our people;
• • administered by a capable and experienced workforce that is representative of our population; and
• • capable of making informed decisions to advance NWT interests at the national and international level.

Mr. Speaker, these long-range goals were identified by this Assembly just four short months ago. We also described some of the preliminary work this Assembly would need to undertake to fulfill our goals.

Today, I want to report how together we have made an energetic and positive start to the challenges before us. I also want to describe to you how and why we are building the momentum that is needed to carry us forward on a number of critical initiatives - initiatives intended to yield positive and lasting benefits for the future of the Northwest Territories.

This momentum is important because it means that within this new Northwest Territories, there is a renewed sense of enthusiasm about the prospects we have for a secure economic future. We need to capture and nurture that sense of enthusiasm.

It is important because it means that we are building a northern territorial identity. As partners in this Legislature and with our constituents, we are defining our shared interests and moving forward together towards our common goals.

It is important because it means that there is a growing awareness and focus on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle for each of our residents and an increased understanding of the need to provide our children with the best possible start in life.

And this momentum is especially important because, as a result of our efforts, people, businesses and institutions outside of the Northwest Territories -- who are in a position to help us realize our dreams -- are sitting up and taking notice of the things we are saying. They are beginning to share our excitement about the prospects for development in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, it is this development -- not only of our non-renewable resources, but of our local businesses, our tourism industry, our people, their skills and abilities -- that will ensure that the NWT is a prosperous and secure place to live and to raise our families in the years to come.