Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will speak in Inuktitut.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to make a statement concerning the capital of Nunavut which was decided December 11th by all the communities within Nunavut.

I am happy to see that we now have a location for the capital. I am also happy to see the percentage of the people who came out to vote. My reasons are mainly for the Baffin area and concerns the people in my riding.

I would also like to congratulate the mayor of Iqaluit, Mr. Joe Kunuk, and Mr. Jerry Ell who is the president of the Baffin Chamber of Commerce, and my fellow MLA, Ed Picco, Member for Iqaluit. Also, I would like to congratulate all those who were involved in the Capital for Nunavut Committee. I would also like to congratulate Mayor Keith Sharpe of Rankin Inlet who also worked very hard towards the vote of Nunavut.

I would like to congratulate and recognize the community of Rankin Inlet who did a lot of preparation to encourage people to vote for their community for the capital. It shows that they have incentive and it showed us that there was a lot of work to be done in preparation for the actual vote. Now that this has become a reality, it is time that we begin implementation work and be ready for Nunavut. The communities in the Baffin region...(Translation ends)

I would like to ask for unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Manitok mentioned, I would like to recognize again, my sister for supporting me in today's formal session. Thank you.

---Applause

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I want to congratulate you on your election, as well as passing my congratulations to our new Premier, Don Morin, and all the new Members of Cabinet selected yesterday. I look forward to working with all of you as MLAs.

I would also like to express my deep gratitude to the people of Arctic Bay, Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay who voted for me. I would like to assure all the residents of the High Arctic constituency that I will do my very best to represent everyone. I am very much looking forward to working hard as your MLA on the important issues which were raised during the campaign.

I also look forward to visiting the communities in my constituency as soon as possible and talk about the important work ahead of us. I also want to express my special thanks to my wife, Susanna, for her support during the campaign and for being with me during orientation and swearing-in recently. I also want to thank my children: Robert, Marie, Paingut and my other daughter Lynn. I would also like to thank my father, my mother, my in-laws, Tommy and Bertha, and all my relatives in Arctic Bay. I also want to thank my hard working campaign manager and official agent, Daniel Aola, for the good job he did.

Mr. Speaker, I also wish to give my personal thanks to the former Dean of this House, Mr. Ludy Pudluk, Dora, his wife; and their family, for 21 years of devoted service to this House and for being an inspiration to me. I have learned a great deal from him. In his farewell speech to this Assembly on June 14, 1995, Mr. Pudluk gave some wise advice which I would like to repeat today.

"Mr. Speaker, I have noticed when they are first elected Members can be good friends and help support each other. However, I have seen, more than once, after they spend time as legislators, they become enemies. People are not electing us to become enemies. They are electing us to work together. We are expected by our people to work together, help each other and develop the North, not to make enemies."

Mr. Speaker, this is very good advice for me from the previous Member for High Arctic and the longest-serving Member in this House. Mr. Pudluk was a Member of this House for a long time and I will try to follow, which I think we should all try to follow.

---Applause