Honourable Members, I beg to return my humble acknowledgements to the House for the great honour you have been pleased to confer on me by choosing me to be your Speaker.
If these words sound familiar, they have been said not only here in this House by my predecessors, but also for the last 100 years or so in Canada and for over 700 years in the British House of Commons and many other parliamentary democracies. Perhaps this is an appropriate way for every Speaker to begin because, in my experience, if you start to tinker and tamper with the traditional way of doing things, the lesson you learn is that no matter how you try to modify or improve tradition, it has certain integral values which perhaps you did not at first fully appreciate. I tried to put it into my own words, but it did not come out as well, no matter how I tried to change it. So, perhaps the lesson is that some traditions are more that just simple convention and have other, more important, values attached to them.
Traditions are important in any culture, and nowhere is this truer than in the Northwest Territories. I will do my best to uphold the many procedural and cultural traditions that have been established throughout the years and be respectful of the traditions that all Members bring with them when they are elected to serve the people of the Northwest Territories.
Sometimes the work we do here appears to be a battle for individuals' advantage, but all of us realize, I trust, that what is done here is extremely important work on behalf of all the people of the Northwest Territories; not only for the individual rights but, in addition, as an example to all that change must be brought about through the process of law and order in a proper, democratic way. Thus, every meeting we hold here should be an example to our people.
With the honour you have bestowed upon me by electing me as your Speaker, of course, goes an obligation to do the job to the best of my ability. It goes without saying that I will give it my best effort at all times. I would like to assure all Members that I place the fulfilment of this obligation ahead of every other consideration. Whether it be a question of individual or collective politics, personal considerations, friendships or otherwise, this obligation at all times comes first, and I will fulfil this role the best I can. I will not always make everybody happy, however, if I can carry out this role to the best of my ability without losing the respect and the goodwill that you have extended to me at the start, I will feel that I have done a good job.
On a personal note, since this may be the last time I will get a chance to make a personal comment, I would like to thank my wife, Alphonsine, for her understanding and patience as, yet again, I take on a new challenge. I know that her support and that of my children, which I cannot do without, will make the months ahead bearable and pleasurable.
Once again, I respectfully thank you for the honour of being named your Speaker, and now I would suggest we get on with the business before us today. Mahsi cho.
---Applause
Item 2, Ministers' statements. Point of privilege, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.
Point Of Privilege