Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to acknowledge and commemorate International Women's Day, this year the 30th anniversary of this international movement. It's with great pride and affection that I will be able to look at my wife in just a few months' time, Mr. Chairman, and celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.

---Applause

I know I have a lot of ground to catch up on some of the Members around here...

---Laughter

...but I'm proud of every day of the relationship that I have with my wife.

Mr. Speaker, the role of government and Legislatures, of municipal councils and leaders everywhere, to step up to the plate and work with the women in our lives and in our communities is one that can never be satisfied. In this respect our territorial Legislative Assembly has a number of things to be justifiably proud of, especially in the area of social programs and justice that I think we have achieved and continue to put effort and resources into. But there are some areas, Mr. Chairman, where we still fall short.

I remember a debate in this House just a couple years ago when there was a big pot, a big pot of money, federal money, that was available for interveners to prepare their cases for their interest before the Mackenzie Valley pipeline process and how, led by the NWT Status of Women organization, they were denied sufficient funding. Our government did very little, if anything, to step up to the plate for them. We let them down. I think there are other aspects in agreements before us now that we are failing to address issues of, for instance, day care. The ability to prepare for and manage the social and family disruption that we know will come with major developments and to really, truly, set the affirmative actions that should be in place for women in our society to advance with the rest of the interests here in the North, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause