Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is nice we have 20 minutes today. I am tired so I am going to talk slowly. I usually talk fairly quickly.

Mr. Speaker, a lot of things have transpired over the last six months and I have to say that I do not agree with everything that has happened and how people have been treated. This has been hard on a lot of people. I have noticed John and Christine Bayly in the gallery today. I want to say that I have the utmost respect for these people.

As they say, to err is human, and every person elected to this Legislature is human, at least I think so. It has been a rough weekend as I have contemplated what to do. I want to assure you that no solicited letters of support, no e-mails, no phone calls have affected my decision that I am going to tell you about here today.

As a matter of fact, I do have to say that I had a problem with the tactic that has been used in going out into the public because I do believe that it has shown a lack of respect for the Members that have been duly elected to this Legislature.

This motion before us today is about confidence in the Premier. When I was a fairly newly elected Member to the Legislature, I was bemoaning something one day. I have probably told you this before but I went to the Premier's office, who was then a Minister at that time, and was complaining about something. His answer was so quick and it was so true. He said, "You know this government is not about you." I have never forgotten that because it is true. This government Is not about any one of us singly. This government is about the people of the Northwest Territories and the people that we serve.

Having said that, this motion of confidence talks about a very, very key person in that role we carry out in serving the interests of the people of the North. I have worked closely with Premier Kakfwi over the last two years and, until recently, he supported me. People need to know though that I was a compelled witness in a process that was put in place by the majority of Members of this House. It has been referred to today as a roller coaster ride and it has been that. However, let us not forget that it is a process that was embarked upon by a majority of Members of this House.

The process, whether people think it needed to be carried out or not, has put a tremendous strain on many relationships. I want to say today that I do not hold any ill will towards the members of the committee. They had a very, very difficult job to do. As Mr. Dent has said, this seems to have started off as something so small and so insignificant and turned into such a big thing, but again that seems to be the nature of things in politics.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes we have occasion to come across people and we are able to gather an insight into their spirit. When we are allowed and make the effort to see that spirit, we sometimes see something very special and maybe something quite different from what is on the surface, something that is beyond strength or weakness. They are usually people that we care about and can probably disappoint or hurt like no others. In the stress of the recent circumstances over the past three months, some very hurtful things have been said and done. If we allow them to consume us now, the effects could be enormous.

I admit that after the weekend, I came here this morning to do battle with the Premier. I believe I could do it with upright motives and good cause but when I walked by his office today, I saw him in there and I took the opportunity to go in and speak to him face to face. I was not there long before I apologized to him for all the things that have happened and he also asked me to forgive him for some of the things that have happened. I made a choice of my will to do that.

I want to say that this is not about politics. It is not about government. It is not about keeping a score. It is about a good principle to live by and to believe in. It is the principle of forgiveness. I think there is an opportunity here for a lot of us to perhaps take a look at that. If we could turn back the clock, a lot of things could have been done differently.

I was asked by a reporter last Friday, is there anything that you wish about this? I said do not get me started on what I wish because I would go right back to the first day that I sat down with the original Conflict Commissioner. I can tell you, there is a lot of stuff that I wish had been different, but it is not.

So I realized today that I value my relationship very much with Stephen Kakfwi and too much not to move beyond what has transpired because I know a little bit about him, his past, his accomplishments and his family.

Mr. Speaker, I care very, very much about the North and as much as Premier Kakfwi for me, to a large extent, captures the North and embodies the people of the North, I want to say that I care very much about him.

So my decision to support him today is very personal. I hope that he will continue to make every effort to uphold high standards of honesty, openness, transparency and integrity in our government, continuing to show the utmost respect for the Members elected to this House by their constituents.

We know that after we serve in government, and especially in Cabinet, that it takes time and effort to build productive liaison with Members and to learn about the needs and aspirations of their constituents. This is a unique setting in a work environment and it really requires tireless commitment. Regardless of the outcome of the vote today, there is a lot of bridge mending that needs to be done if we are going to have a productive next two years.

Mr. Speaker, I just would like to say that I hope that the Premier, with the renewed mandate that I am certain he is going to get here today, will continue to rely on his own instincts and his own judgment because I think they are good. Sometimes in these positions, we come to rely on input from other people too much. Sometimes we have to go back to our own instincts and our own moral compass and our own sense of direction and trust that and rely on it.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that I will be supporting the motion for confidence in the Premier. Thank you.

-- Applause