Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think it is fair to say that this week we are all breathing a little easier. For many Northerners, labour disruptions bring up painful memories of deep divisions in our community. Thankfully, we have avoided a recurrence and we hope we can achieve a final resolution that respects our dedicated, professional public service members and the services they provide.

Mr. Speaker, as elected MLAs, it is important that we remember who put us here. The value of the work we do in this building must always be measured by its impact on our constituents. They are the people who gave us their trust.

In turn, it is important to recognize the work of members of the media who help people understand complex public issues. We live in a time when the media has a huge impact in our lives, so it is increasingly important that we can trust what we see and hear.

In context of recent weeks, I would especially like to compliment the work of Ollie Williams at Cabin Radio. His reports about the negotiations were frank and open and offered in-depth explanation of difficult and potentially divisive issues. In a situation where emotions can run high and conflict is too easily reached, his balanced, fair reporting was crucial to serving the public interest.

Another example of the northern media providing important understanding was at the AME Roundup in Vancouver. Northern media, including CBC's Hilary Bird, were covering roundup for the first time this year and were able to better convey the importance of the work that happens there. I know that not everybody agrees that our government should invest as much as we do in going to roundup, but fair and balanced coverage of issues and events like these are crucial to our residents' knowledge and understanding of the issues, to enable them to reach their own informed opinions.

Mr. Speaker, sadly, we live in days of fake news, when even known facts are argued, debated, and disputed. In such times, honest, balanced, and fair journalism is crucial in providing people with real understanding of public issues. In the small, close-knit community of the North, we are fortunate to be well-served by a principled and impartial journalistic community. I am pleased to take this opportunity to acknowledge their important contribution.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.