Monsieur le president, messieurs et mesdames les deputes, mesdames et messieurs, et amis.

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, as you all know, I enjoy visiting the people in our communities. I will use every opportunity to visit your constituencies and to accept as many invitations as possible that may be extended by the honourable Members of this House.

Recently I was invited to Inuvik to help present Long Service Awards to staff and teachers at the Beaufort-Delta Education Council. It was an honour to help recognize and show appreciation for the dedicated service of 29 staff members who work so hard on behalf of their students and communities across the Beaufort-Delta.

While I was in the Delta, I drove the ice road to Tuk and paid a visit to Mangilaluk School where I was welcomed into two classrooms to read a story to the children, a story that I had written, by the way.

The Grade 9 students in another class were eager for me to watch their impromptu display of drum dancing, which was led by their teacher. This was an unexpected pleasure.

I also had time to drive to Aklavik where I took part in a very special luncheon with the elders and staff at the Joe Greenland Centre.

I felt very privileged to help two residents celebrate their birthdays: Isaac Kunnizzi turned 87 on February 21st and Mary Kendi will turn 95 on March

4th .

The warmth and hospitality shown to me by Principal Reardon, his staff and the students at Mangilaluk School, by the staff and residents at the Joe Greenland Centre and by the Beaufort-Delta Education Council reminds me again of how much I enjoy visiting our communities and meeting the people.

Later this week I will travel to Grande Prairie to attend the start of the Arctic Winter Games. I will be very proud to join others in representing the Northwest Territories and cheering on our athletes.

Then I will be in Vancouver to participate in the annual conference of Lieutenant Governors and Commissioners with the Her Excellency, the Governor General.

Members, as you know, my current term as Commissioner is scheduled to end before this House meets again in the spring. This could very well be the last time I will appear in this Chamber as your Commissioner. I want to tell you and all of the people of the Northwest Territories, what a great honour and a great pleasure it has been to serve in this capacity. I will leave it to others to assess my performance as this great Territory’s 15th Commissioner. I take the greatest satisfaction

in reporting to you, however, and that I have met my goals in visiting each of our 33 wonderful communities as Commissioner. Some I have visited many times. While there are still many things I would like to accomplish as Commissioner, I am singularly proud of having fulfilled that goal. Our communities are the heartbeat of this land that we

call home. It is where the real impact of the real decisions that you make here are felt there. We must never lose sight of them as we do our work.

I want to wish each of you, every one of you the wisdom, the foresight and the modesty you need to fulfill your important duties during this upcoming session and the remainder of your term in office. You are the custodians of this made-in-the-North system of consensus government. I know you will do everything in your power to leave it as strong as you found it.

Now, as Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, I declare open the Fifth Session of the 16th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Merci beaucoup, mahsi cho.

---Applause

Before I leave, as I like to say, mahsi cho.

---Laughter