Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of areas that I would like to talk about. I think the first one is I will start with the Youth Parliament. I find it very intriguing what we do. It is really an interesting form of engagement to the youth on the importance of democracy. Sometimes that value isn't realized until people become voting age, or they may even become taxpayers through the homeownership process. I find, sometimes, that could be lost out there for many years until, like I say, you become part of the taxpaying cycle. Then you realize how important public government becomes.
I think, through our education system, I am quite proud to say that I have gone through in the Northwest Territories. They taught us a lot about the importance of the Legislative Assembly. When Mr. Menicoche had mentioned today about the young students and some of the parents who came through here today who are going to school in Bompas in Fort Simpson. I attended that school while I grew up. I can remember them teaching us, the teachers that is, they were teaching us about what was happening here. They talked about the old days, about bringing government to the people. It sort of reminded me of those days, seeing them up there, those young, happy, smiling faces seeing what we did. Back when I was a kid, they had not travelled, the Assembly that is, for quite some time, so we got to know our MLAs through little brochures about who they were and whatnot. Occasionally, because I knew the Sibbeston family very well, I grew up at houses like Nick Sibbeston's and understood what they did here. It was very fortunate for me to sort of have that experience and to have teachers through the education system to talk about what we did. I am really proud to say that this Assembly is responding to a need through the Youth Parliament system which encourages youth to get involved and learn more about what is happening. Seeing them here reminds me about that period in my life when I first learned about government and what we did. That was a start where I first envisioned of coming to this Assembly, and one could say that I have realized the dream I have had since I was a little kid watching even Parliament on television back in the late '70s, early '80s, so we are on our way.
To the Page process, it didn't exist when I was a young student in Fort Simpson growing up. Until I moved to Akaitcho Hall, they went there and solicited and said, does anyone here from the communities want to participate in the Page process? I was fortunate enough to be one of those that was selected. It was quite exciting because I remember I started as a Page. Like I said, I learned about our government system through our school. It has brought me through today. So through a long-winded way, I am trying to say that I think it is an important process that we continue to bring the youth from the communities as well as, of course, our youth from Yellowknife here into the Assembly here, so they experience what we do, know and realize how important it is, the decisions we make today. On that point, I will leave those by themselves and I will move on.
Mr. Chair, when I am out in the community meeting and seeing constituents, not a week goes by when people talk to me about how exciting it is to watch us on television. I really find that encouraging because, in my mind, that is the way the Assembly brings government to the people. I know we have transcripts that you could read through the Hansard process by downloading them. I know the newspaper does what they can, the radio, the CBC and whatnot, but there is something a little bit different about watching your MLA on television than there is sitting down and reading it. Warren Kinsella had once said about the Canadian public, whereas they are a busy bunch of people, it is difficult to sit down and make time to go through the process, but yet, being able to focus in on a few minutes and watch things and listen to things, I thought was always a very stimulating point which was people's lives are busy, but bringing democracy in through the television into their homes, I think, is something that we need to continue.
I will say that I am extremely pleased to be part of this Assembly that has now started the pre-budget consultation process. I, as well as many Members, trumpeted this. I think this was met at great success. We started here in Yellowknife. I thought this was a neat way of bringing government to the people, because we are asking them in advance what is important to you and can we help bring this to life. It has never been done, to my knowledge, before this Assembly. I would like to see and
hope the future assemblies grab onto this important challenge that we have done by bringing it open. I think what we have done is blown the doors off the process so we can show to the citizens that we are trying to be more accountable to their needs.
With that, I am really committed to the process to ensure that the public really does see what we do here. That is why I have spoken even through a Member's statement about saying that I am fully supportive of stepping forward to a satellite channel where the Legislative Assembly can be seen throughout the North as well as throughout Canada, of course. I have spoken about the fact that I believe we should create a northern channel and embrace our colleagues to the left and right of us which are the Yukon and Nunavut legislatures. I think that is a good vehicle to bring our debates and our questions to the people which, ultimately, are the ones we are here to serve. I have been cornered, in a sense, a number of times where people have wanted to tell me how excited they were to see us on television from community members when I was in Fort Good Hope, how they say that they enjoy seeing us. They like watching our debates. They like to see that, sometimes, we even get an answer when we ask a question. They find it quite a different process. I think it is very encouraging to know, on a personal level, that people are watching. I know that the Legislative Assembly debates are maybe not the most stimulating things to watch on television, but the fact is they are good information and there are good things seen that are being done.
To lend my support to, say, a satellite channel, I think, is the way to go. I know that there will be short-term costs. I don't want that to be seen as a criticism to the idea. I think the value of that type of communication goes far beyond any type of short-term costs that we may see as a quick hurdle. The fact is there will be no other system that we can truly bring a broad brush of democracy into citizens' homes. I think that is our mechanism, like I say, or our vehicle to help ensure that the people are seeing what we do and help ensure that they know what we are doing, as well.
With that, Mr. Chair, at this time, I am going to leave my comments at that and say that I am very supportive of what we have been doing here, and I would like to continue to see the good work that goes on. Like I said earlier on a number of occasions, I think the pre-budget consultation through this Assembly support I think is one of the most significant steps that we have done. It will only be realized years from now about how important that step was about bringing democracy to the people and asking them their opinions, because it is truly them who we are serving. Thank you, Mr. Chair.