The Speaker Paul Delorey

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? I heard a nay. Members' statements. Honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I'd like to mention it's an honour and a privilege for me to be here today as Member of Nunakput. I'd like to thank the people of Nunakput for the overwhelming support I had, to let them know I'll be doing my best to fight for the issues that are important to all of them and to be their representative in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to congratulate you on being elected as the Speaker of the House. I'd like to congratulate Premier Roland on being selected leader of the government of the next four years. I have known Mr. Roland most of my life. He's a hard worker, a great family man, a man of integrity. I look forward to doing my part in working with him on behalf of my constituents in Nunakput and for the people in the Northwest Territories. I'd also like to congratulate all the newly appointed Cabinet Ministers later on this afternoon. After all that we've been through this past week, the next four years should be easy.

---Laughter

I will look forward to holding all your collective feet to the fire in my job.

Mr. Speaker, I'm here today because a lot of people have encouraged me and helped along the way. First of all, I'd like to thank my wife, Jenny, who has been behind me all through the campaign trail. I'd like to thank my children -- four of them are in the gallery today with their mother -- for myself being away for the last six weeks. I'd also like to thank my mom, Georgina, who is here today. She also worked really hard on the campaign, taking care of the most important issue: making sure I was eating well.

---Laughter

There are many more residents and community leaders and the youth who are a part of my team and continue to guide my job as the MLA. There are too many names to mention to take the opportunity to thank them all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to all the folks that are here today and those that are watching on TV. I, as well, would just like to take a few brief seconds to thank the constituents of Thebacha: the many that supported me in the election; the many that worked for me in my campaign; to Denise Yuhas, who was my official agent for the fourth time, the best in the business; and to my family, some of which are here as well in the gallery today. I am very grateful for this honour of a fourth mandate to come back to this House, this House of the people, the House that consensus government built. I'd like to thank my colleagues and congratulate them, as well, on either their election or re-election. I must say that I am truly grateful that the campaign now is finally over and that after today we'll all be able to get down to work for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

---Applause

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya Minister of Transportation

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to, first of all, thank my family back in Tulita and the people and my family members in the Sahtu region for supporting me. Mr. Speaker, without them, we say our family is so important to our life, more so in the job that we do today as MLAs, as Ministers, as Members of the Legislative Assembly. My family members are there at the end of the day.

I want to also thank my friends and thank my ready campaign team, which we had a break from the campaign thanks to the gift of the Sahtu people for acclaiming me as their representative in this Assembly. I really say it’s a gift and I really want to thank the elders who spoke for me in my term as an MLA. I thank the people from the bottom of my heart to be given an opportunity at that time to take some time because of this work that we do -- a lot of time is spent away from our families -- and to really have the opportunity to go into the bush and spend some time with my family, take my little boy and my wife and go in the mountains and do some hunting up there for them. I really appreciate that as a gift from my people in the Sahtu region.

Mr. Speaker, I said the elders are the key to my representing the people in the Sahtu and the one person that I really, really regretted yesterday, in terms of the work that went on yesterday, was my mother. I wanted to really see or hear and to physically make that phone call and tell her that all her hard work and sacrifice that she did when we were young, that she could be thanked from the bottom of my heart. I said a prayer last night: I thank Mom wherever you are for guiding me and for persevering in her discipline to us in terms of getting the best in life. You have to work hard on that.

Mr. Speaker, for that, I want to say to all the young people in the Sahtu region and the people in the Northwest Territories: Dream big; dream the dream that you want to be in life because it could happen with hard work, education, hard, good values to live by. I want to say that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you so much. Bye-bye.

---Applause

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen and other visitors that we have in the gallery with us today. I’d like to begin my statement today by congratulating you, Mr. Delorey, on once again becoming the Speaker of our Legislative Assembly. I’ve a great deal of respect and admiration for you, Mr. Speaker, and I wish you well in your role.

To our new Premier, Mr. Roland, I offer my congratulations. In addition to our new Premier, I’d also like to congratulate our new Cabinet: Mr. Lafferty, Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. Bob McLeod, Mr. Michael McLeod, Mr. Miltenberger, and Ms. Lee. Good luck and best wishes on your selection to our Executive Council.

I want to thank the constituents of Kam Lake for re-electing me to a second term in office. I will be forever grateful to you for giving me the honour and the privilege to again represent you and your families in this Legislative Assembly.

I’d also like to thank my opponent, Mr. Brad Enge, for challenging me in the riding of Kam Lake. I feel it’s always important to earn a job.

Mr. Speaker, with 81 percent of the vote, I come into this Assembly in my role as MLA for Kam Lake with a tremendous endorsement from my constituents.

I’d also like to thank my family: my wife, Amanda, for being the strong person that she is; my mother and father, Frank and Peggy, for coming from New Brunswick to spend the last week of the election campaign with me; and also my mother and father-in-law, Cathy and Xavier Fabien, and my official agent, Mr. Brad Anstey, and all of my campaign supporters and contributors.

Mr. Speaker, as my family and supporters from across the territory know, I was hoping to be selected to Cabinet yesterday during the Territorial Leadership Committee. Mr. Speaker, I’d equate the TLC process we have here to something akin to Survivor. Sometimes in life and politics, things are not always as they might appear and yesterday was a good example of that for me. I just want to say again to my supporters and those of you who know who Dave Ramsay is, that I’m not going to give up, I won’t back down, and I won’t go away. I will continue to pursue the interests of my constituents and the residents of this territory to the best of my ability as a Regular Member of this Legislative Assembly. Mr. Speaker, it’s a role that I relish and I certainly am looking forward to. Mahsi.

---Applause

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to begin with congratulations to you, Mr. Speaker, and to our new Premier and Cabinet-about-to-be for their selections to these key leadership positions. I know that these responsibilities are not lightly earned and it is clear that they bring many skills; you bring many skills and much experience and knowledge to these jobs.

I am highly honoured to be representing and working on behalf of the people and interests of Weledeh in the Northwest Territories. I thank the voters and have pledged my dedication to them. I express appreciation to all those who contributed to the Weledeh election campaign by putting their names forward to run for election. I know much better now how much of a contribution to our society and our democracy this represents.

I thank my family, in particular my wife, Marianne, who kept me healthy and sane, as she promised she would. To my mother, Barb Bromley, who participated in many ways; to my sister, Maxine Avery; my brother, Chris Bromley, and his wife, Cleo; and all the other members of my family, my nephews and nieces and brothers and so on, all of whom reside in Weledeh.

Mr. Speaker, I’m humbled by the amazing support, skills, time and contributions that I received from my campaign team. I recognize that they gave up considerable time from family and personal lives, from our fall harvesting season, and time from their working lives for my campaign.

Weledeh has an incredible diversity of cultures. I would particularly like to thank my translators: Mary Rose Sundberg, Mary Rose Dryneck, Bernadette Martin, France Benoit, Batiste Foisy, and Louis Azzolini. Through their good work, my Weledeh campaign served to build community and relationships using local skills and local resources. Many local businesses participated. Even our buttons were manufactured by a budding entrepreneur in Weledeh. Events in the riding featured local food, like white fish, and local entertainment by skilled musicians. This was a wee demonstration of sustainable living.

In closing, I’m looking very much forward to working with all Members of this House. Thank you.

---Applause

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker…(English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, I’m very proud to be the choice for my riding, Nahendeh, once again, and I wish to thank my constituents for their confidence and giving me the honour and privilege of serving once again. There are many roles that we can serve in our Assembly, but above all we serve our constituents to make a difference to their lives and to make a difference to our communities.

Before I really get to work, Mr. Speaker, I want to use this time to be grateful. I would like to, first of all, thank my campaign team, my campaign manager back home in Fort Simpson and a big thanks to Mr. Sean Welly. I also thank my children and my family and supporters for their help; as well, to the Nahanni Inn gang, Mr. Speaker, that provided many hours of strategy and planning advice. At the same time I do wish to thank the rest of the candidates, the MLA candidates that ran with me: Mr. Bob Hanna, Mr. Arnold Hope and Ms. Keyna Norwegian. It provided an opportunity for me to get another mandate and, I’m very happy, a resounding mandate. Without that opportunity to have the people participate in our great democratic process…I’m really grateful for that, Mr. Speaker.

As well, too, I, along with many colleagues here, did stand my name forward to be a Minister once again in our government and that did not happen, but I’m very happy just to be here and serve and represent the people once again, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.

---Applause