This feels familiar. I wish to begin by welcoming everyone to the Chamber today. Honourable colleagues, please accept my sincere appreciation for the trust that you have placed in me by choosing me to serve a second term as your Speaker. I would like to especially thank Mr. Lafferty for the nomination. I wish to assure each and every one of you that I will continue to fulfill my duties as Speaker to the very best of my ability, protecting both the privileges enjoyed by the House collectively and those of individual Members.

I also look forward to continuing to represent the institution of the Legislative Assembly. I am especially proud of our people and our accomplishments and I thank you for the opportunity to continue to promote this great territory. I could make note here of the large shoes that I have to fill or comment on the exceptional wisdom and guidance provided by your last Speaker.

---Laughter

But seriously, Members, my goals for this Assembly remain unchanged. My first obligation is to continue to preside over this House in a manner which ensures that

the rights and privileges of all Members will be upheld and to maintain order and a level of decorum that will allow each and every one of you to carry out your duties to the best of your ability. The most important and fundamental rights is the right to freedom of speech in your debate and freedom from interference in carrying out your duties. I commit to uphold these rights, as well as the rules and procedures which this House has adopted. As Members know, promoting the independence of the legislative branch of government from the executive branch is also an issue of fundamental importance to me. I hope to build upon the strengths of some of the legislative and process initiatives that were undertaken and agreed to by the 15th Assembly in this regard.

On a more personal note, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my constituents in Hay River North for allowing me to continue to serve them in my capacity as MLA. It is a great privilege and an honour to represent them for the third term in this Assembly. I can assure them that in performance in my duties as Speaker in no way diminishes my efforts to serve each and every one of them to the very best of my abilities.

I would also like to thank my campaign manager, Bobbi Hamilton, my official agent, Janet-Marie Fizer and my entire campaign team and especially my daughter Monique, who designed and produced every pamphlet, every brochure, every newspaper ad and met every deadline I put in front of her. She is a wonderful person and did an amazing job.

I would like to extend my congratulations to the Premier and the Executive Council elected by the Members and wish you well as you undertake your new responsibilities. However, I want to serve notice to all members of the Executive Council right here, right now, that you can expect a call from me shortly after your swearing in. While I am not able to ask questions on the floor of the House, as Speaker, you will be seeing me in your offices a great deal in the days, weeks and months ahead. My community of Hay River has a long list of issues, concerns and opportunities. There are many ways to promote and respond to these issues, and my constituents and the Members of this House can be guaranteed that I will be doing so with all my energy, but in a manner that will not compromise my objectivity and my neutrality in this House.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my family. Politics is not an easy life for families, and the sacrifices each of our families make on a daily basis do not go unnoticed. As Members, we could not do our job, the job that we do, without the love and support of our families. I wish to thank my wife, Davida, and our children and grandchildren for the support they constantly provide me.

Colleagues, we are beginning our journey here today with many challenges facing us in this great territory of ours. In the various roles that each of us will play as we debate public policy, raise issues of concern for our constituents, lead departments, provide opportunity for public input and hold government accountable, I ask for your assistance. I ask that you always treat each other with dignity, respect and compassion, protecting the integrity of this institution, and conduct yourselves within the rules set down by this House.

Please be assured that I will work hard to maintain the trust and confidence that you have placed in me today. With that, Mr. Clerk, would you ascertain if the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, the Hon. Anthony W. J. Whitford, is prepared to enter the Chamber and address the Legislative Assembly.

I would ask you to all rise at the entrance of the Commissioner and to remain standing for our National Anthem which will be performed by Ms. Karen Zaidan of Fort Smith.

---Singing of O Canada