Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s good to be back in the House with you and colleagues.
As we heard from our Premier today on all our accomplishments, it’s imperative that we take stock as we embark on the tail end of our journey of the 17th Legislative Assembly. However, in the midst of
human tragedy, such as the hangover effect of residential schools and the more recent call for murdered and missing Aboriginal women, we need to take stock of another kind.
Now, more than ever, we need to commit ourselves to our communities – all communities, big and small – because in the end, all politics are local. We need to meet our responsibility toward our fellow citizens with equal measures of restraint and passion for all needs. As a territory of new-found powers, we need to control who we are and who we can be. We know we need to overcome the shameful behaviours of our past, yet we need to stop the patronizing as a nation with the wooden spoon of ignorance and we must embrace the modern reality we live with today.
It’s imperative, more than ever, to create an environment of true belonging, a territory of achievement and a North capable of harmony. If we are to move forward in such fashion, as one territory, as brother and sister, with true forgiveness at heart, I ask my colleagues here today, let’s show it with the remaining time in this Chamber.
With that, I’m calling on all leadership, all community governments and all organizations in the Northwest Territories, to put differences aside and work together so we can achieve this greatness.
In closing, I reach out for the wisdom of a great leader of our generation, Nelson Mandela, who said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I challenge you today, for the time remaining in the 17th Legislative
Assembly, let’s get these initiatives done for the residents we serve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.