Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On this day, the last day of the fall session, I’d like to reconfirm why we are elected to represent our people in the Legislative Assembly, what we believe in and what we must produce as meaningful results for those whom we are elected by.
Like all northern leaders, our people elected us to listen to their concerns, work together, find solutions and lead by example. As MLAs we have a responsibility to best understand the challenges faced by our constituents to find the best solutions to address these concerns. We are expected to bring issues to individual Ministers, to the Assembly and to our standing committees to work together to produce results.
Mr. Speaker, I want to confirm the main issues I have been hearing from my residents of Nunakput from my time as the mayor and since I put my name forward and was elected to represent Nunakput as an MLA.
My constituents want economic opportunities. They want to participate in the NWT economy, support their families and provide future employment and business opportunities for their children and grandchildren.
My people want assistance to deal with the increasing cost of living in our region. Communities are at the end of the road. Air and marine transportation systems…. We lack access to reasonably priced goods and services compared to the rest of the residents in the other regions of the NWT. The skyrocketing prices we pay for energy, food and all life’s basic necessities are impacting negatively on the health and well-being of our families.
My people are also looking for us to provide them with the best possible education and health services. We all know that quality education and healthy communities are key to a brighter future.
As Members of the Legislative Assembly I believe we all clearly heard these messages from our constituents. We got together to frame our priorities and terms of office. We are now expected to focus our undivided attention on finding reasonable solutions to deliver real improvements for our people. Our people want to have the tools to succeed. This should be our focus.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.