Good afternoon. Please join me in thanking Elder Marc Casaway for opening words and blessing today. Thank you.

I'd also like to thank the Aurora Fiddle Society's Fiddle Cats for the exciting performance today. What a wonderful way to kick off this sitting of the Legislative Assembly. It is great to see and hear our youth in this Chamber. Please join me in thanking the Fiddle Cats and wishing them success at the Pan northern Youth Fiddle Summit in Yukon later this summer.

Colleagues, I want to say a final thank you to our recently retired Commissioner, the Honourable Margaret Thom. Commissioner Thom was appointed as the 17th Commissioner of the Northwest Territories in June of 2017. For seven years, it was our pleasure to have her join us in this Chamber. She will be missed, but I am also pleased to announce the appointment of Gerald W. Kisoun as the 18th Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Kisoun, or Gerry as I know him, is an Inuvialuit Gwich'in elder who has dedicated his career to serving the people of the Northwest Territories. He served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, worked with Parks Canada, and was Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 2011 to 2017.

Like some of you, I have known the new Commissioner for a long time. The first time I met him was at Colin and Rita Allen's kitchen table in March 1988. Throughout the years, it was great to hear his stories and you actually felt like you were there witnessing or living the event. As a family member, I am going to have to train myself to not call him cousin anymore.

Colleagues, in late April the Legislative Assembly hosted youth from across the territory who took part in our 20th Youth Parliament. This year Commissioner Thom opened and closed the Youth Parliament. I presided from the Speaker's chair and the mace was in the Chamber for the first time. The youth also had the chance to meet their Premier, their Member of Parliament Michael McLeod, and the Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Bill Blair.

It was an honour to share the Chamber with our youth, listening to them share their concerns and ideas freely in this Chamber. These youth are our future. Members, we are in good hands.

I would like to thank the staff who made this event possible and the Members who took the time to meet with their Youth Parliamentarian representatives and serve as pages. This is a great program, and it would not be successful without your support and dedication.

From April 29th to May 2nd, I was very excited to take our mace to the people of Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk, Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik. Our mace is rich in history and symbolism and honours the culture of the Territories by bringing together the northern elements, carvings, metalwork, beadwork, quill work, and pebbles from each of the 33 communities. As your Speaker, I am proud to have opportunity to visit our communities and share the mace with our residents.

I was especially excited to be joined by the former Youth Parliamentarians in Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik. In Tuktoyaktuk, we had Miley Wolki; and, in Inuvik, we had Kamdyn Alexie and Kurt Loman. I thank each of you for the warm welcome and introductions.

Members, today we continue the first session of the 20th Assembly. This sitting will be a little longer than we usually have this time of year as we are required to consider and pass the budget for the 2024 2025 fiscal year. There will be some differences in opinions and perspectives. We can and must be agreeable even when we do not agree with each other. Difficult conversations do not have to be, and should not be, disrespectful conversations. As Speaker, I believe I made my expectations clear and, in this Chamber, I expect to hear thoughtful, meaningful, and honest debate. I expect our rules to be followed, and I expect each of us to show respect for each other, this institution, and the people we represent.

Members, it is my pleasure to inform you we have interpreter service for the following languages:

• Dene Suline Yati
• Inuvialuktun
• Inuktitut
• Inuinnaqtun
• Dene Kede
• Dene Zhatie
• Dinjii Zhu Ginjik
• Tlicho Yati, and
• French.

Members, remember to speak slowly. I repeat, please speak slowly as the interpreters, they need the time to interpret for us clearly. It is an honour for us to have these interpreters here. And please join me in thanking them for their service and dedication to using and preserving and growing our language.

I am also pleased to announce that we have added Dene Zhatie to our self-guided audio tour of the Legislative Assembly. We now have four languages available on the Smartify app.

Colleagues, I have received the following correspondence from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Gerald W. Kisoun. It states: Dear Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of:

• Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), 2024-2025; and
• Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2024-2025,

during the first session of the 20th Legislative Assembly. Yours truly, Gerald W. Kisoun.

Thank you for your time and attention, colleagues. Let's get down to business.

Ministers' statements. Mr. Premier.