Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let's try that again.
WHEREAS Douglas Schauerte was appointed Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly in 1995;
AND WHEREAS Mr. Schauerte has provided devoted and exemplary public service to the Legislative Assembly for more than 30 years;
AND WHEREAS during Mr. Schauerte's 10 years as Deputy Clerk, the system of democratic and responsible government in the Northwest Territories has undergone rapid and significant change;
AND WHEREAS Mr. Schauerte will retire as Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly on October 20, 2017;
AND WHEREAS it is customary for Legislative Assemblies to recognize and express their gratitude for such long and distinguished service;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre that the Legislative Assembly expresses its sincere gratitude to Mr. Douglas Schauerte for the dedicated and exemplary service to this House;
AND FURTHER that the Legislative Assembly designates Douglas Schauerte as an honorary officer of this Legislative Assembly with the entry into the Chamber and a seat at the table. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is a motion in order. To the motion? Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just very quickly, I got elected into the House in 2014 and I have had the opportunity to work with Mr. Schauerte. I have seen the work that he does and trying to keep his all in order. As we have just seen recently today, I think it is time to retire him. He is getting all the ridings mixed up.
---Laughter
That is starting to make me wonder if he even knew what the ridings were.
---Laughter
As member of the board of management and the Minister of Finance, I think it is going to be a cost-saving measure to this, too, because Doug runs up and down the hall so many times. I don't even know how many times we have had to change carpet in a year.
---Laughter
We will be able to save some money in that. It also set him up well for his next line of work when he moves down to Saskatchewan. He is going to be a cat herder because he has had a lot of practice over the last number of years. We do appreciate the work that you have done and we look forward to the opportunity of seeing you here at this table again. Thank you.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. I will allow the seconder to make comments on the motion.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, dependable, accommodating, those are the words that come to mind when we talk about Doug. He is the person that we Regular Members see every sitting morning at nine o'clock who walks us through what the day will be about and how we need to prepare for it.
He is unfailingly helpful. He has an incredible knowledge of procedure and the history of this Assembly, a tremendous amount of corporate knowledge that he takes with him when he retires. He is always accommodating; nothing is too much trouble. He is always a constructive force in our meetings. I will miss him tremendously, but I wish him well in his retirement. Mahsi.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I think this motion really deserves some very serious debate. I look forward to some comments here, but no, more seriously, we often don't get to recognize our staff. This is one of the few occasions we actually get to do that. Thank you, Doug, for over 30 years of service.
You are an encyclopedia of knowledge. You have this uncanny knack of enabling us to get the best out of ourselves seriously. Personally, you have provided some very solid advice to me. You have made my re-entry back into political life a lot easier. I sincerely wish you all the best with your next phase of your life and you always have a special place in this House. Mahsi.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will rise to commend the long service Mr. Schauerte has given to this institution and to us, in particular, on the Regular Members' side. I may have studied politics before I got here, but I certainly did not know how the sausage was made, and Doug is an excellent sausage-maker.
Other Members may know, since I have been here over the last two years, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning our procedures and practices here, and one thing I am going to miss most about Doug leaving is arguing with him over how best to do those policies and practices and always throwing him a curveball of "Hey, why don't we try this," and then Doug saying, "No, no, let's not do that at all." I will miss that, but I do know that 30 years under the dome in a hectic political support role must have been a long career, and he must be looking forward to that retirement now. I know he will be back, and there will always be a seat at the table for him. Thank you very much for your service, Mr. Schauerte.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I have had the privilege of knowing Doug and the Schauerte family for many years, but I never knew Doug on a professional level. I can certainly say that, when you are a newly elected MLA, just walking into the front doors of this building can be daunting and sometimes intimidating. There is nothing more special than meeting the never-ending warm smile of Doug Schauerte. It is not just us here in this House who owe you a debt of gratitude. You have given 30 years to an institute as fine as ours is. We are all a part of the Canadian Federation, and so I think that Canadians as a whole owe you a debt of gratitude for your commitment to public service. Thank you.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, feel like I have known Doug for a long, long, long time. I have seen Doug in here, and when I arrived here elected in 2007, Doug was a real big help to me. In addition to that, I have known Doug's family for a long time and worked with his late mother. She was responsible for teaching me a whole bunch of things about the Housing Corporation and about how to be an employee of the Government of the Northwest Territories a long, long time ago. I have often talked about Doug's mom with Doug, and I guess, when I met her, Doug was most likely in high school. It seems like I have just known Doug forever since I first came to Yellowknife in 1979. It was an honour to work with you, Doug. Thank you.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, stand up here to support this motion. I have had the pleasure of knowing Doug since way back when, playing sports. I considered him a friend, even though we were from Hay River and Yellowknife, and we had some really heated battles on the sports field. After that, it was a really good friendship.
One thing I'm going to really be thankful now is that now he can call me "Shane" instead of "Mr. Thompson" every time he talks to me. His professionalism was amazing. He would sit there. As soon as I got elected, it was Mr. Thompson. I go, "Hey, Doug, it's Shane. You know, it's me." He goes, "No, Mr. Thompson. I need to talk to you" -- and he was very good at helping us get to where we are here today.
He has gone through eight Assemblies. I mean, that is amazing. Eight Assemblies, and he has made a very big huge impact. A lot of the Members on the other side had the pleasure of working with him, whether it was through committee work or through the government system.
This institution is part of Doug, and I thank Doug for his service, not just to us, but to the residents of the Northwest Territories, and as my colleague said, the rest of Canada. Our uniqueness here is thanks to Doug and his ability to give us good advice and direction. I thank you, and we will sorely miss you in Assembly, but again, I will be very thankful when you start calling me "Shane" again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have known Doug since I was a teenager playing broomball, and we played at the national level, at the international level, and Doug was always a first-class sportsman all the way through, through winning, through losing, through tough times. I got to work with him for about a year, almost two years here, and there were some heated debates and some very good progressive ones as well. The most important thing that Doug has taught me in the last year and a half is patience, and I have sure needed it this week. I really appreciate that, Doug, and I wish you all the best. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
Colleagues, as you can see, I am allowing first names in the House. This is a special occasion. It is personable and friendly. I will just continue with that. To the motion. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, respect all the choice words as my previous colleagues have mentioned, and I think that the whole House feels heartfelt to the service that you have provided, Doug. As the previous colleague mentioned, this institution is you, and it is the other way around as well: you are part of this institution and always will be. As we say in some cases back home, "you're always welcome in my tepee." As a newcomer into this institution, I have seen you every morning and see the warm, comforting knowledge that comes with your presence there, and I can see why order was always kept in the previous eight Assemblies. I respect you, and I wish you all the best for yourself and your family. Come home and visit us once in a while. Mahsi.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, this is a very special motion, and a very genuine motion for the clerk before us. It is a very special day, as well, in terms of celebrating and acknowledging the work, commitments, dedication, sacrifice from one of our own, Mr. Doug Schauerte, here at the House. He has committed himself and dedicated himself not only to what goes on in this House, but to Members, past and present, as well as residents of the Northwest Territories. He has been a mentor and a role model, not only to Members of the Legislative Assembly, but among his staff and his peers. I have seen this over the last six years being an elected Member of this House personally.
When I first got elected into the 17th Legislative Assembly, Doug was a very strong mentor and motivator to the Fab Five at the time -- the five of us who came in -- and showed us how things work in this House, encouraged us, and motivated us to be the best MLAs that we could be. He gave us direction. He gave us guidance, advice, and process that we could use to make the best decisions for residents of the Northwest Territories.
As the chair of Standing Committee of Social Programs, and as a Member of Government Operations in the 17th Assembly, as Members who were around knew, we had a very heavy schedule and agenda, and as the leader that Doug was, he stepped up to the plate. He jumped in when he knew that his clerk staff needed assistance and researchers needed assistance. He did not complain about it once. He came on the road with us. We had some pretty heavy bills that we had to take a look at, and we got them done. We got three big, significant bills done in the last year of the 17th Assembly which was pretty heavy, and we were not sure if we were going to be able to do it, but under his guidance and his commitment and the sacrifice that he made, we were able to do it for the people of the Northwest Territories.
Doug, when you are gone, there are definitely big shoes to fill, and a lot of experience and knowledge goes along with you. On behalf of Members, past and present, mahsi cho, quyanainni, merci beaucoup, and thank you. I hope you get to spend some quality time with your family in Saskatchewan. Mahsi.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to acknowledge Doug Schauerte. I remember when I came into this building two years ago, and the most impressive thing I found was the light that comes into the building. Politics is not always about sunshine and light. It is often very cloudy and dark and gloomy. One of the things that carried the light throughout the term that I have been here for the two years is Mr. Schauerte. No matter when I see him, no matter where he is, he always has a positive outlook. He always has a smile on his face. I will miss that smile. I will miss that ray of sunshine that you bring, and I really, sincerely hope that, when you leave, a dark cloud doesn't overcome our Legislative Assembly.
---Laughter
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to acknowledge Mr. Schauerte's work here in the Legislative Assembly. I have been here for six years. I see the passion that he has in committee work. Sometimes we are in our committees from 7:30 in the morning through lunch hour, and Mr. Schauerte is steering us in the right direction, making sure that we follow the rules, not only in committees, but here in the House. I would just like to thank him for that. I know speed walking has not been around for many years. I am not sure if Mr. Schauerte invented it.
---Laughter
He is always on the ball, making sure that committee is prepared and all our briefings are in order. I know a lot of times they say in this House that we do not need to acknowledge the work that they do, whether it is research or the clerks, but it is very important that our residents of the Northwest Territories realize the work that is put in behind the scenes, Mr. Speaker.
A lot of the changes have happened over the years. A lot of times a budget has had major changes through the course of whether it is six weeks or two weeks, and that is because of the work of the clerks and committees. That is all of us working together, making sure that we are respectful in this House. I would just like to thank him for that, and I wish him all the best. Thank you.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly concur with many of the sentiments that I have heard today. I first met Doug many years ago, and he had longer and I had darker hair. His has not changed very much, but mine has. I first came to this Assembly in 2015 as part of the 2015 version of Ocean's Eleven, and we certainly needed an awful lot of guidance. Quite apart from the help that he has provided in this Assembly, he has been a great help to the Rules Committee. I was told when I was put in Rules Committee, "Well, they only meet a couple of times a year."
---Laughter
Well, it ended up being a couple of times a month. Doug has been a big help, and thank you, Doug.
---Applause
Masi. To the motion. I will allow the mover to make the final comments.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Jackson.
---Laughter
Well, he said we're on a first name basis today.
---Laughter
I'll take that.
Protocol usually has that the chair of Caucus would move a motion such as this, and I appreciate Julie allowing me to do this, being a long-serving Member. I don't want to say the oldest; a long-serving Member. I appreciate all the comments, and I think that speaks well to the work that not only Doug does, but a lot of us in here. We're the face of our department; we're the face of committees; we're the face of the government. However, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes, and I think today is a great example of that. They do all the work. We take all the credit. If things go wrong, we blame them.
---Laughter
It is a very special time, and I thank the comments that you heard from colleagues around the room here. I know you have been around for 30 years. I was talking to Doug earlier, and he is actually younger than me, but he has been around 30 years. He is going to retire. I know some of you are saying, "Take the hint, R.C. Take the hint."
---Laughter
Anyway, you have probably seen and heard a lot of things, but never repeated them. I would like to be the first one to buy your book when it is written, because I am sure you have got a lot of stories. Mr. Speaker, having said all of that, I would request a recorded vote. Thank you.
Hear, hear.
