Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, tabling of documents. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've got a letter here from the Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce to the Honourable Floyd Roland, Minister of Public Works and Services, regarding sole sourcing of GNWT office space requirements.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Item 13, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Status Report - Protection Against Family Violence Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 13, tabling of documents. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Proposed Energy Conservation Action Plan and Rising Energy Cost Backgrounder. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 13, tabling of documents. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

I would also like to table a petition to alter the governance structure of the Hay River education district. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 13, tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, October 26, 2005, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that the government present a viable comprehensive strategy to address energy costs to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight at a public meeting in November 2005; And further that this strategy present both long and short-term mitigating measures, possibly including: subsidies for low income households, harvesters, and other renewable resource workers, and subsistence hunters; energy conservation measures; efficiency initiatives such as promoting the use of wood-generated heat; lobby efforts for federal assistance for NWT residents, such as reduction or elimination of the federal goods and services tax; and opportunities to work with our sister territories; And further that the government present a viable comprehensive strategy to address the overall cost of living in the NWT to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight at a public meeting in January 2006; And further that this strategy include both long and short-term mitigating measures to address the high costs of essentials such as food, utilities, housing and transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 14, notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

WHEREAS the resignation of Edward N. Hughes, QC, as the Northwest Territories Conflict of Interest Commissioner, effective November 30, 2005, will create a vacancy in that office on December 1, 2005;

AND WHEREAS section 91 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act requires that the Commissioner, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, appoint a Conflict of Interest Commissioner;

AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly considers the appointment of a Conflict of Interest Commissioner essential to exercise the powers and perform the duties under the act;

AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly is of the opinion that the appointment of a Conflict of Interest Commissioner, effective December 1, 2005, should now be made;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that pursuant to section 91 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the Legislative Assembly recommends to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories that Gerald Gerrand be appointed Conflict of Interest Commissioner, effective December 1, 2005.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to just say a few words to our Conflict Commissioner.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, I would like to thank Mr. Hughes for his service as the Conflict of Interest Commissioner for the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, the time does not provide for a full listing of Mr. Hughes' accomplishments in his long and distinguished career. Mr. Hughes is an officer of the Order of Canada. In addition to his work as Conflict Commissioner with the Legislative Assembly and Ethics Councillor for the public service of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Hughes has been a distinguished lawyer and jurist, a deputy attorney general in British Columbia, and Conflict Commissioner for both British Columbia and Yukon. He has also chaired commissions on contentious issues in Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon, including the APEC inquiry in British Columbia.

Mr. Hughes has been a chief federal negotiator on land claims negotiations, and, in British Columbia, he was chair of the Taskforce on Legal Aid Services, and chair of a committee involved in justice reform, gender bias in the justice legal system, and a member of the Canadian Bar Association's Standing Committee on Equality.

In 2002, he served as chair of the BC Tri-annual Judicial Justices' Compensation Committee. I will not list them all today, but suffice it to say the list of volunteer organizations that Mr. Hughes has given his time to is as impressive as the accomplishments of his professional career.

Mr. Speaker, while Mr. Hughes is a renowned expert on issues of conflict in Canada, it is his professional and practical approach to the job that is most impressive. You always felt comfortable going to Mr. Hughes, to ask his advice on how to arrange your personal affairs to ensure they did not conflict with your professional duties.

Mr. Speaker, we were very lucky that Mr. Hughes chose to take on the position of Conflict of Interest Commissioner in this Legislative Assembly, and I would like to thank him, on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, and, personally, as a Member of this Legislative Assembly, for the work he has done for us over the years.

With that, I say to Mr. Hughes, thank you, mahsi cho, merci, thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. To the motion. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to add my voice of support for the motion. In so doing, I will pass along my appreciation to Mr. Hughes for the service he has provided me. The Premier said it very well, when he described the sense of confidence that we must have in our senior officers and advisors to the Legislative Assembly, and perhaps no one more so than the Conflict of Interest Commissioner. That is the office that we need to go to when we feel we may be out of step, or we know we are out of step, and we receive information on how we can bring ourselves back, not only to save our own reputations, but for the good of this institution.

It is a very essential service, one that we must have absolute confidence in, and the recommendation to see Mr. Gerrand from Saskatchewan take over is one that I support, and I look forward to the continuation of the level of confidence and service that Mr. Hughes has brought to the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. To the motion. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say "Happy retirement," to Mr. Hughes. I have known Mr. Hughes for some time, prior to my coming into the House. I was very happy when I heard that he was fulfilling the role of Conflict of Interest Commissioner, because of the high regard I have for Mr. Hughes' integrity. He pushed me along when I was considering a position in the House here. We talked about it. I want to thank Mr. Hughes. The next commissioner has some huge shoes to fill when Mr. Hughes leaves.

Huge shoes to fill, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank Mr. Hughes for bringing the level of confidence and credibility to this House that he has, as Mr. Braden has pointed out. That is a big credit to Members. I want to thank him for his role in our lives as MLAs. I want to thank Ted, personally, for helping me, in terms of my direction in life. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. To the motion. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to speak to the motion, and offer my thanks to Mr. Hughes for his tenure as our Conflict of Interest Commissioner. I know I was probably one of his more complicated, and annoying, clients, when it came to disclosure time, because of my previous life. But he was very patient with me, as I tried to gather all the information on an annual basis for him, and I thank him for that. He certainly is a person that we hold in a great deal of regard and high respect. The fact that he recommended the person to follow him, makes me feel very confident that we will survive without him. Thank you, Mr. Hughes.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. To the motion. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.