Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, along with the Members of this Assembly, congratulate you and look forward to working with you as the Speaker of the 16th Legislative Assembly; as well, for
the Members, for your support for putting me into this position. It's going to take the work of all of us to make the lives better for the people of the Northwest Territories. We're going to face many challenges, but I believe, in working together, we can build and strengthen this place we call home: the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, we heard about the sacrifice Members make in coming into this forum and working around this office as stated, and the challenges our families will face as we take and hold office in this Assembly. Mr. Speaker, I found in the other times as I put my name forward for Member for Inuvik and then Inuvik Boot Lake, I always talked with my family and my wife to first get her permission to put my name forward, and she has always supported me and realized the sacrifice that we would make together as a family. So I have to thank her for agreeing to let me run for the 16th Legislative Assembly.
As well, my children. A number of them were born before I became a Member and the two younger children have only known me to be a Member of the Legislative Assembly. So to them it's old business, old hat and we'll get back down to business. They just ask if I can still be a Minister.
I'm honoured, Mr. Speaker, the fact that the people of Inuvik Boot Lake would send me back down to represent them as a Member of the 16th Legislative Assembly
through the acclamation that they returned me back by. So I'm honoured that they have once again supported me in that manner in my second time as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. Again, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the people of Inuvik Boot Lake and the community of Inuvik for supporting me once again in the manner they did. I will do my best to represent them, along with my colleague Mr. Robert McLeod, to ensure that we have fair representation in the Legislative Assembly. I have to also thank my colleague from Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod, for his support and encouragement for stepping forward. Thank you very much.
---Applause