Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome back, Members. Mr. Speaker, today is a day of loving, caring and sharing with others. I would like to wish everyone a very happy Valentine's Day, especially Karen and my children on the loving, caring side of Valentine's Day.

We, as a Legislative Assembly and government, must never lose sight of the human side of the Legislative Assembly. Despite making decisions on budget, legislation, and programs that are being delivered, we all must keep in mind that there is a human side to all of these decisions.

When it comes to people we represent in the Northwest Territories, regardless of how small or remote the communities they live in, like Colville Lake, or as large a community as Yellowknife, we must never lose sight of the services and programs we deliver. We must never lose sight of the individuals' names and faces, regardless of their father, mother, sister or brother, grandfather or grandmother. Putting a face to all decisions that we make in regard to the acts we carry out and the trust people place in us shall never be lost.

I would like to put a challenge out to all Members of this House of the 14th Assembly that we never lose sight of the faces of the people who may not be with us here today and have passed on. As a loving and caring day, I for one would like to ask this government to have a heart when you make a decision, to have a heart when you bring forth the budget, to have a heart with regard to everyone we represent.

With that, I would like to wish a happy Valentine's Day to one and all, and again, have a heart.

-- Applause