[English translation not provided] Thank you. Thank you, everybody, for inviting me to be here today. Before I begin, I just wanted to share a few of my words to welcome you all; welcome all of our visitors, as well. It's good to see you. I know most of you personally. It's an honour to see you again.
You know, when we come together, we work to help our people. We're in a field of helping each other. For us to help each other, to help other people, we need to help ourselves. I see you work together, the Regular MLAs, the Ministers, the staff. In order for us to do well for ourselves and our people, we need to listen to one another, to have respect for each other while we're speaking. When somebody is speaking, like the elders always said to me, when they are speaking, you listen. Though they may not be talking directly to you, but the messages that we hear could be useful for us somewhere down the road.
I ask that you be respectful of the land that we're on today, Drygeese Territory, people of the Yellowknives Dene. We have respect for these people here. We take care of this place while we're visiting from our own regions and our own communities.
I ask you to look after that place, look after each other while you're working, show respect, honour each other, like we do our families. Inside here, you're like a family. I just wanted to share that. I'd like to offer you a prayer today. [English translation not provided]
Creator, we thank you for this wonderful day. Creator, today, we ask you to be a part of our lives today, at this moment and this time. I ask you, Creator, to bless this place, this place of decision-making, this very place where our people come together to talk about our people. I ask that you bless each and every one of these Members of the Legislative Assembly, the Regular MLAs, the Ministers, our Speaker, our staff that work here. Each and every one of these people that work in this place, Good Father, we ask you to bless them, give them the strength each day as they come here to feel good about the work that they do, to feel good when they leave here at the end of the day. Good Father, we ask you to bless them, guide them and strengthen them.
I know, Good Father, when we're away from our home and our communities, it's difficult to be away, even for the day. The amount of time we spend here, Good Father, we ask you to look after our families back home, take care of them, watch over them, take care of our homes, bless our homes, keep them from any harm or danger, Good Father, while our leaders are away from their communities. Good Father, we ask you to bless this place again, to look after each and every one of these people. We ask you to bless our people at home, in our communities, the people that we work for. Take care of those that are sick at home and in the hospitals. We think about those that are struggling on the streets today, Good Father, and we ask you to bless them, take care of their health, watch them, watch over them, Good Father.
Creator, we ask you just to help your brothers and sisters here today in the Assembly that they have a good session, the third session of the 18th Legislative Assembly. Good Father, we ask you to bless each and every one of these people, as they listen to one another, make good decisions for our people out there today. [English translation not provided]
I'd like to offer you a flute song. This song, I haven't played yet. I don't know what it is, but what I feel in here today is really strong energy, an energy that we want to get something done. There's a lot on our minds and a lot in our heart. I want to put this song in here, I want to leave a song in here for you to help you and guide you in all that you do.
---Instrumental music
Mahsi.
