Debates of October 13, 2004 (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since becoming a Member of the 15th Legislative Assembly, we have led very busy lives and have had to make some very difficult decisions. This summer, I had to make a difficult decision as well, a personal one that included my family, in a sense that we have decided or, as my children would look at it, I had decided that it was best that my family be close to me. So we made the journey this summer leaving Inuvik via truck driving the Dempster Highway and relocating here in Yellowknife. I am here in Yellowknife for the purpose of the work that I have been given, the responsibilities I am here to fulfill.

I just want to let the constituents of Inuvik and Inuvik Boot Lake know that even though I am here in physical form and body, my heart is still back in Inuvik and my commitment is still to the people of Inuvik Boot Lake, and the work I have done on behalf of them I will continue to do. But I have to accept, and my family as well, that it is important that our families remain close. I felt that it was best that my children got to see more of their father on a daily basis rather than hearing them over the phone or watching them on the television. One thing I learned from my father is that you need daily input and guidance to turn out to be a productive and healthy person of our community. So just to the people of Inuvik and Inuvik Boot Lake, I have relocated. Many people I have been talking to I informed them of my plans to do that. The move went well. My children are in school and still missing home, as we call it. Thank you.

---Applause