Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am proud to say I was born and raised in the NWT. I was taught to respect all people, whether or not I agree or disagree with them, and most importantly, I was taught to be principled in my beliefs and to believe in others. What has this got to do with being a politician? I would say: everything. It reminds us that we are here not for ourselves but to represent those people who placed us here, the same people who are just trying to stay healthy, trying to raise a family, trying to put food on the table, and trying to keep a roof over their head.
Mr. Speaker, it has been a little over a year since we were sworn into office. When we first came together as newly elected MLAs, we all discussed the need to work together, the need to be respectful, and the need to be open and transparent, all so we could provide effective and meaningful representation for the people of the NWT. We agreed to standards we would follow. We have not lived up to those standards.
At the outset, we all appeared to get along, and everything was friendly and respectful. It took only a short period of time to realize the first sign of splinters developing between Members. It had little to do with how we were going to work for the people of the NWT but had more to do with egos and personal aspirations. It is apparent we have experienced some turbulence. However, collectively, it is now up to us to work through it while moving forward.
Mr. Speaker, I, or any of us for that matter, do not have time to child-mind Cabinet or Regular Members. We all know there are limited financial resources. We all know the priorities. We all know the mandate. Most importantly, we all know the issues facing our constituents and communities. We are here to address those very issues by providing collaborative solutions that will use our resources efficiently while providing positive and long-lasting benefits to the residents and businesses of the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, it is time to put our personal differences aside, be respectful, work together, and, most importantly, listen to each other and our constituents. We have only three years left to actually advance the priorities we set for ourselves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
