Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by taking this opportunity to once again thank the constituents of Yellowknife North for putting their trust in me. Mr. Speaker, the 18th Assembly has almost completed its first year. We are 25 per cent of the way through this term. It's a good time to take stock and reassess.

We can proudly point to some significant accomplishments. Leading the way was a new mandate, the commitment to our people. We've made significant progress toward transparency and openness. We approved an operational and a capital budget that staved off major program cuts and job reductions, and found some new program money. We adopted a plan for a mid-term review, and updated our consensus government principles. We achieved unanimous agreement on moving forward with junior kindergarten.

Just in the last few weeks, standing committees have made significant steps towards public access to their proceedings. Ministers have made significant announcements in this House, signalling progress on mandate issues.

Mr. Speaker, there's still work to be done. We have a commitment to bring forward Ombudsman legislation in the next year. Demand for 911 services is not going away. The dark cloud around power rates and electricity services still hangs. What does made-in-the-North, post-secondary education look like? Maybe most importantly for our health, education, environment and economy, is the work that needs to be done on unsettled land claims.

Mr. Speaker, our successes were achieved by working together in the true spirit of consensus government. That doesn't mean that these 19 people will always agree. We have differences. We have been willing to collaborate and, when necessary, compromise. In that spirit, and recognizing that we must be responsible stewards of the public purse, I suggest that our mandate calls on us to make investments in our future.

Residents heard our commitments. Now they want to see us expanding educational opportunities, providing better health care, supporting small business and advancing exploration, developing partnerships, and creating infrastructure. These are steps that will support real economic growth, and create good jobs.

Yes, we face challenges in this great territory. However, we promised to invest in our people, and that's what we must do; follow the mandate, invest in growth, and bravely move ahead. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.