Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome all the Members back to the 15th Legislative Assembly. I welcome all the people in the gallery here today. I am looking forward to seeing some positive outcomes and results of this fifth spring session.
Mr. Speaker, my constituency of Tu Nedhe, some of the ongoing initiatives such as the Taltson hydro expansion project, the Snap Lake diamond project, the Gahcho Kue project and the remediation of the Hook Lake bison recovery project are just a few of this government’s priorities in my region which I am glad to see are moving forward and will provide my constituents, along with many northerners, with new employment opportunities and improved living conditions. These, along with many other community-based initiatives like the Lutselk’e arena which is nearing its completion this fall, and the Lutselk’e tank farm initiative, and the Deninu Kue sawmill are also just some of the initiatives that I would like to continue to move forward on but are still very dependent on the unrelenting cooperation and support of this government and that this government has provided and hopefully will continue to provide going on into the future.
Although the future does look bright for my constituency of Tu Nedhe and many northerners in general, Mr. Speaker, with the many economic development projects being brought forward by industry, government and community organizations like the First Nations, Metis and community councils, there are also many other social issues that tend to get overshadowed by all of these big picture items. Mr. Speaker, it will be these issues and concerns and health, education, housing, capacity building and community governance in our smaller communities that I will be raising in this House during this Fifth Session. Many of these so-called social ills sometimes may seem insignificant and petty, but to the uneducated single mother or father living in a dilapidated two-bedroom public housing unit with their four kids, any opportunity and support I can provide through this government which offers them some sense of hope, dignity and strength to carry on, I will definitely take action on. I hope that our government embraces the same earnest desire and passionate enthusiasm of support.
We, as Members of this Legislative Assembly, will encourage our colleagues, our employees, our subordinates and our bureaucratic system to follow the same lead in addressing and resolving in a tolerable and dignified manner all of these reiterated but curable issues and concerns that are being raised in this House over the course of four years. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
