Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table to the following document, entitled “Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2012-2013.”

Thank you. One of the, I suppose, most unique practices that we’re considering or initiatives we’re considering, of course, is to conclude the Devolution Agreement, where we would take over responsibility and authority of our land, water and resource development and be able to speak to these type of practices. I appreciate the Member’s comments on the Water Stewardship Strategy. If he has specific recommendations in terms of what he considers unique northern approaches that we may not have considered, I’d be very happy to look at those and would ask that he share that with us so that we can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a recently new process that is not completely understood. It is a source of great research at the international, national and even in our level as we seek to understand the use of hydraulic fracking for unconventional oils, in particular shale gas.

There is work being done at the federal level. We are striking a committee between ENR and ITI and other relevant deputies and departments to look at this issue and to address some of the issues that the Member talked about to try to get a good handle on the research. Some provinces’ fracking for unconventional sources...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Once again, just to point out that the money that’s there, the $28 million for communities has been maintained, and over the years that I’ve been around, we’ve maintained the level of growth at a higher level than all other program areas, probably with the exception of health.

The Member talks about money while we talk about the struggles. We do have to keep in mind that we are still spending $1.34 billion across the North and we’re going to continue to spend that amount and probably more with all the growth pressures.

The other piece – and I have to take this...

WHEREAS Subsection 61(1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act requires that there shall be an Executive Council of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS the Executive Council shall be comprised of a Premier chosen by the Legislative Assembly and persons appointed by the Commissioner on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that the Member for Yellowknife South, the Honourable Robert R.A. McLeod, is hereby chosen to be Premier and a member of the Executive Council of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, October 31, 2011, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that the Member for Yellowknife South, the Honourable Robert R.A. McLeod, is hereby chosen to be Premier and a member of the Executive Council of the Northwest Territories.

At the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m the MLA for Thebacha and I’ve been here now five times. I can tell you I’ve never been acclaimed.

---Laughter

But I’ve made it through. I’d like to thank the constituents of Thebacha. I have the benefit of working with one of the best campaign manager/constituency assistants in the business: Ms. Denise Yuhas.

I’d, as well, like to congratulate my colleague, the long-serving, long-suffering Member for Hay River South, who has been here for as equally long as I have.

I’d like to, as well, pay my best respects to the outgoing Premier, Premier Roland. He and I have ridden...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my wife, Jeri Miltenberger; one of the best deputies I’ve worked with in ENR, Gary Bohnet. I’m assuming back here there might be other deputies, Sandy Kalgutkar, and possibly Deputy Minister Debbie DeLancey.

This gets us back to the issue of devolution and taking over authority for land, water and resource development in the Northwest Territories. Right now we are at the mercy of the federal government. They will consult with us, but really they have the whip hand as it were. So if we get a devolution deal, as the Premier has been saying, Northerners will finally make decisions in the North, about the North, for the North, by Northerners. Right now we’re having this discussion about decisions that remain 4,000 or 5,000 miles away. We weren’t consulted. We just got the notification that we shared...