That's right, I said 50 years ago.

---Laughter

There was a period of 30 or 40 years that our paths didn't cross, but I was certainly aware of his work, particularly in the commissions of inquiry, because I knew his brother very well, Mr. Bill Hughes, who is also my uncle. He spoke to me often about what Mr. Hughes was doing. He was very proud of him.

I thought, Mr. Speaker, it would be appropriate for me to say some words, because I have been a Member of this House since we had our first Conflict of Interest Commissioner. In fact, our first Conflict of Interest Commissioner was a group of commissioners. It was like a committee. It was quite challenging, at times, to work with them. Over the years, I have worked with a number of different Conflict Commissioners, and I have to say that Mr. Hughes, in my opinion, has been the most professional.

He was always thoughtful, and very careful to ask those probing questions that need to be asked in order to make sure that we have our affairs properly in order, so we can assure the public that we aren't in a situation of conflict. So as has been noted already, Mr. Hughes is leaving huge shoes to be filled, and I am given some comfort that he has recommended Mr. Gerrand to replace him. Therefore, I will be supporting this motion wholeheartedly, and I would like to express my thanks to Mr. Hughes.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. To the motion. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to speak in favour of the motion, and to express my fond farewell to Commissioner Hughes.

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that I own so few things. I own no companies, and my conversations with Mr. Hughes, with any conflict of interest issues, lasted no more than five seconds. I always stayed around to talk to Mr. Hughes about some other things, and he's always been so kind.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that I think we were very fortunate to have Mr. Hughes take this appointment to come this far north. That gave us all an opportunity to have a close working relationship with someone with such a distinguished background and accomplishments.

Mr. Hughes, for me, personifies the distinguished, learned gentlemen that we all get a chance to meet once in awhile. He is very kind, and very humble and unpretentious. He just has a way of making you feel very special, even when you know what he has done, that he knows so much more than you. He's just unbelievably accomplished.

I just want to say thank you to Mr. Hughes, and I wish him a lot of success and happiness in his retirement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. To the motion. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be brief. Mr. Hughes has been an important icon to this Assembly. It almost seems funny that we have to vote in favour, and that we are all in favour of voting in favour of letting him go. I think we should just vote against the motion and we can keep him forever.

---Laughter

How does that sound? Mr. Hughes' wife may not be too happy with that. She'll be calling us later, I guess.

As we all know, Mr. Hughes has shepherded us in many ways. I want to thank him for being there for myself, and other Members, with gentle kindness on the issues, as Ms. Lee just pointed out. I just want to say thank you. We are a better Assembly with his advice, and we have all walked with greatness and shared a moment with him. Thank you, sir.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. To the motion. I will allow the Member for Nahendeh to make final comments on the motion. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the mover of the motion, I will be supporting it. It's an opportunity to, once again, say thanks to Mr. Hughes. As a new Member coming in, he helped explain the big mystery of the Legislative Assembly to me and paved the way as to how I conduct myself and do my business as a Member of our Legislature. I would like to thank Mr. Hughes for that.

I currently sit as a Member of the Board of Management, and we have lots of dealings, almost on a daily basis, with Mr. Hughes. On behalf of the Board of Management, I would like to thank you for helping us there and working with us. It's because of his wise counsel, and his good advice, that we are where we are today as the Board of Management, and myself as a Member.

So, once again, thank you, Mr. Hughes, on behalf of all of us. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the motion.

Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

---Applause

Thank you, Members. Item 16, motions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to briefly speak to this motion in the hopes that when the commission starts its business, I will read the record of their appointment, and I want to make a suggestion as a Regular MLA, for the record. As they go about doing their good but complicated work, that they consider not increasing the size of government. We should hopefully be maintaining the 19 seats, and no more. We are a very small jurisdiction, with some of the smallest constituencies in the country, next to Nunavut. The cost of our government is very expensive. As we listen to the debate in this House, and the request for day care money, and the request for chipsealing, and the request for housing, and the multitude of requests that we get on a regular basis, I

don't think anyone in the Northwest Territories outside of this Assembly would say what we need most, above all those other things, is more politicians. It's a very expensive proposition. We are 19 Members for 42,000 people. That is, in my opinion, more than adequate.

If we have trouble making a quorum in our committee meetings, it's not because of function, or because we don't have enough MLAs or Cabinet Ministers. It's a function of everybody showing up on time to do the work that's required of them as Members of this Assembly.

I am very glad that we have such an august panel that's being struck, but I want to have on record that I have always been a proponent of the fact that 19 is enough to do good government in the Northwest Territories. If we did a poll, I would bet my paycheque that it would be overwhelmingly against any more seats in this Assembly by the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. To the motion. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to the motion. I believe that this commission's work is completely independent, and we're just giving them the power and authority to do the work that they're required to do, under the legislation that we passed. I don't know if we even have the authority to set limits on that. I have a little bit of difficulty speaking about committee attendance, and such. I don't think that has anything to do with the mandate of this commission. I think this commission is now being given power by this Legislature to do what they have to do, and hear from the people, and if any Members of this House have anything to say about the makeup, or the number, or how many representatives, I believe they are free to appear before the commission and speak as such. So I don't want there to be any notion that this motion is, in any way, speaking for or against the number of seats. I just want to make sure that there's no misunderstanding out there, because that's the impression that I got, from listening to the previous speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. I'll just remind Members to keep their comments to the motion. To the motion.

Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Thank you, Members. Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of Bills. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that Bill 16, Tobacco Control Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order.