Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I may have to lean on your level of tolerance today as this will be a bit of an events statement. Let me begin, Mr. Speaker, by saying how happy I am to be back in this wonderful Chamber, with yourself and the rest of my colleagues, to embark on what I'm sure will be a very ambitious session. I'm sure everyone is fully rejuvenated after the Christmas season and is up to the challenge ahead.
Mr. Speaker, I eagerly await the deliverance of the Budget Address by my esteemed colleague, the Honourable Joe Handley, as well as the federal Budget Address next Tuesday. I sincerely hope that one or both of these addresses will contain some good news that will give us the resources required to deliver the programs and services needed by the people that we represent.
Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the families of Pat Lafleur, Harold Page, Chuck Williams and Leonard Cardinal, who have recently passed away. These fine people are all long-time residents of Hay River and will be sadly missed. I especially want to send my condolences to the families of Eileen Olsen, who passed away on Monday morning and whose funeral will be held on Thursday. I want them to know that, although I will be unable to attend because of my duties here, my thoughts and prayers are and will be with them.
On a happier note, Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of pride that I recognize the Hay River senior ladies' curling team, comprised of Cathy Ryde, lead; Rose Goudreau, second; Linda Carter, third; and my wife, Davida, as skip. These four ladies were excellent ambassadors at the Canadian senior ladies' championships in Lethbridge in January. I want to congratulate these ladies for being very good ambassadors of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause