Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Good afternoon, Members. It is, indeed, a pleasure to welcome you back to the Chamber for the continuation of the Fifth Session of the 15th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. It has been a very busy summer for all Members caring for constituency matters, as well as continuing in public debates, public hearings and ongoing government and committee work.
I would like to acknowledge, before we go on, the community elections that were held in many parts of the Territories yesterday. I can certainly appreciate the commitment, time and effort that anyone who runs for public office must exert and I applaud all who ran in these elections.
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As well, I want to extend the congratulations of all Members to the successful candidates. Members of this House look forward to working with all of you for the betterment of the citizens of the Northwest Territories.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to Ms. Tonia Grannum, a table officer who is visiting us from the Ontario Legislature.
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Our staff is looking forward to a mutually beneficial information exchange and I want to thank you in advance, Ms. Grannum, for your willingness to assist us over the next few weeks.
I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize Mr. Gerald Gerrand, the Conflict of Interest Commissioner for the Northwest Territories, who is in the gallery today.
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Welcome, Mr. Gerrand. It is always a pleasure to have you here with us.
Finally, Members, before we begin, I know some of you have experienced tragic loss of constituents, families and friends over the past few months. I would like to extend the condolences of the House to the families, friends and communities who have been affected by tragedies over this past summer.
Before we proceed to the orders of the day, I wish to remind all Members of the rules you have established for debate in this House. The issues we deal with as Members are serious and important to the people we represent. We owe it to our constituents and to each other to carry out our business with dignity and respect. Also, I want to remind all Members to make statements, ask and respond to questions in such a manner that will
allow the maximum participation of all Members in our proceedings. Thank you for your attention, Members.
Orders of the day, Ministers' statements. The Honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.