Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on January 23rd, Canadians elected a new Parliament with the Conservative Party of Canada posed to form the new government. On behalf of the people and Government of the Northwest Territories, I would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Mr. Stephen Harper on his election as Prime Minister of Canada.

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We were very pleased and encouraged by the commitment made by Prime Minister-designate Harper on election night to work with the northern territories to help achieve our dreams and to develop the potential of this great region. Once the new government is sworn in next week, we look forward to working with individual Ministers to make these words a reality.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to acknowledge and extend our gratitude to Prime Minister Paul Martin for his many years of public service to Canadians as Prime Minister, Minister, and Member of Parliament. In particular, I would like to thank Mr. Martin for his ongoing support and commitment for the goals and aspirations of northerners, and his efforts to advance a vision for the North that has helped bring a greater understanding of this important region to other Canadians.

We also extend our congratulations to Mr. Layton and the New Democratic Party for their strong showing on election night, and to Mr. Dennis Bevington who was elected as the new Member of Parliament for the Western Arctic. I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Bevington last week to discuss ways we can work cooperatively on issues of importance to the people of the Northwest Territories. I am confident Mr. Bevington will do an admirable job for northerners.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge our outgoing Member of Parliament, the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, and extend our appreciation for her service to the people of the Northwest Territories over the past 17 years. We have seen much positive change during her time as a Member of Parliament and she should be very proud of her achievements.

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Mr. Speaker, during the first two years of our term, the Members of the Legislative Assembly have made significant progress in raising the profile of the Northwest Territories’ issues in Ottawa and southern Canada. The Northwest Territories is a good news story in this country. Over the last 10 years, an entire new industry has been created around the mining of diamonds in the Northwest Territories, an industry that contributes greatly to the economy of Canada. The development of the oil and gas potential of the North can create significant economic growth and jobs, and provide added security of supply for the North American market.

But, Mr. Speaker, while we have taken important steps over the last two years with the national government, we have been unable to resolve the fundamental issues concerning the control of our resources and, in particular, the revenues generated by them.

Shortly after his election, Prime Minister-designate Harper committed to working with the provinces and territories to address the fiscal imbalance that exists between the federal government and provinces and territories. This is an important commitment and one that will allow us to make our case on the need to restructure and improve our financing arrangement with Ottawa, and to reconsider how resource revenues are shared between the federal and northern governments.

Mr. Speaker, we believe the election of a new federal government provides a significant opportunity to forge a new working relationship with Ottawa. We are optimistic that we can hit the ground running on some important issues with the new government, and look forward to establishing a cooperative and productive working relationship with Prime Minister-designate Harper and the Members of his government. Mahsi cho. Thank you.

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