Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of Motion 13-18(3), a motion by my colleague from Yellowknife Centre to increase women's participation in the Legislative Assembly, and I want to thank her for bringing this important motion forward.

We began the 18th Assembly directed by our electors with a commitment to openness and transparency, and we have taken some positive steps in that direction, Mr. Speaker, and that's good, but when you look around this Chamber and do a simple count, Mr. Speaker, it tells a different story.

Of 19 Members, only two are women. What does that say to young people who look into our proceedings and wonder how we reflect the needs and realities of their communities? Is our system truly open and transparent to women? What does that say to aspiring young women who want to take on leadership roles in their communities? How does that encourage young women to step up and make their voices heard?

It doesn't, Mr. Speaker. It is a failure of our process that this Chamber is a very poor reflection of the territory and people we are here to represent. Mr. Speaker, I have spoken in this House about the influence that my mother has had on my life. As a working single parent, she was my role model. She embodied the values that I have come to respect and value most in life. The fact that she, and people like her, are left without a fair and equitable voice in this Assembly is a flaw in our system and in public representation, Mr. Speaker.

It is not your fault, nor mine, Mr. Speaker, or the fault of any other MLA, government, past or present, but our system must improve its representation of women. Motion 13-18(3) puts a measurable goal on that improvement and commits us and those who follow to taking specific actions to achieve that goal, and for those reasons, I will be supporting this motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.