Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Mr. Clerk, please note the Member's decision to resign on the record of the Legislative Assembly. The Member for Monfwi's seat is now vacant.
Mr. Lafferty, before you leave the chamber, I want to thank you for your 16 years of service to the Tlicho people, the residents of the Northwest Territories and to the Legislative Assembly. You have served as a regular MLA, Member of the Executive also known as Cabinet, and as Speaker.
Throughout your time in the Assembly, you have been a champion for the Indigenous languages. Mr. Lafferty, you were the longest serving Member in the 19th Assembly. You have served as part of four Assemblies, first being elected by by-election in the 15th in 2005. In the 16th and 17th Assemblies, you served as Deputy Premier, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Minister of Justice, and the Minister responsible for Official Languages and for the Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission. In the 18th Assembly, you served as our Speaker. And it is in this chair where you left a legacy.
Your leadership reinvigorated the Assembly's use of Indigenous languages, expanding interpretation services, your use of the Tlicho language in this chamber every day while in the Speaker's chair set an example for those who follow you.
On a personal note, it has been a pleasure serving with you the last ten years. I still remember the 'good ol' days' when we used to travel --
---Laughter
-- and our trip to Fairbanks to visit the University of Fairbanks to see how they teach the Gwich'in and Inupiaq languages so that we can adopt those teachings in our education system.
Mahsi cho, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Colleagues, we will take a short recess. Please join us in the Great Hall to say our farewell to Mr. Lafferty. Mahsi.
---Applause
---Recess