Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a Member in this House is marking a special day today, a birthday. This special birthday is his 60th, making him an elder, certainly a most respected elder.
Mr. Speaker, this person was born in Fort Smith on June 11, 1941. He was raised in Fort Smith and worked on the tugboats that moved barges in and out of Fort Smith until he was 17. He travelled on one of those tugs to Yellowknife in the late 50s and decided to stay here and enrol in Sir John Franklin High School, becoming a resident of Akaitcho Hall.
After completing high school, he became a mechanic and returned to Fort Smith to work, where he met his future wife, Elaine, who was a social worker in town. I note that his wife is in the gallery with us today, Mr. Speaker. They have been married for over 30 years.
He worked as a member of the town council in Fort Smith, which was his first introduction to politics in the North. After their marriage, he and his wife moved out to Taltson River Dam, where he worked as a diesel mechanic. During this time, they had three sons, Warren, Blair and Ian, all of whom I note are in the gallery today, Mr. Speaker.
In the 1970s, he decided to return to school by attending the University of Calgary and he completed a degree in social work. I must say that his abilities in counselling are often called upon in this House. After completing his degree, he and his family moved to Yellowknife in the late 1970s. For a while, this person worked as the executive assistant to the then Commissioner John Parker.
In 1988, he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly as the Member for Yellowknife South in a by-election. Mr. Speaker, that was a particularly memorable by-election for myself, seeing as I came in a distant second. You might say this Member kicked my...
-- Laughter
He returned to office in 1991 in the 12th Assembly and served as the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. Prior to his election as the Member for Kam Lake in 1999, he was the executive assistant to the then NWT and now Nunavut Commissioner, Helen Masagak. He was also the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Assembly for two years.
Mr. Speaker, this person has an extensive history of community work, including being a long-term member of the Rotary Club. He is particularly noted for his involvement in preparing the dog track during the days the Rotary Club was looking after the dog derby, and he has continued that work with the new organization.
He is a notary public, a marriage commissioner, and is well known as a volunteer auctioneer and fundraiser. This person is often seen attending the movies with his wife. Now that he qualifies for the seniors' discount, I am sure that we will see him on days of the week other than Tuesday.