Debates of October 19, 2007 (day 2)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the past many weeks have been a very busy time, starting with the month of September, the election period, culminating with October 1st, polling day. It was a busy and exciting time as each of us had the opportunity for a very concentrated dialogue with constituents about the issues most important to them. I found that exercise to be invigorating, and a renewal and a recharging of my enthusiasm to pursue those issues. Some of what I heard was not new, but many of the suggestions and ideas about how to approach them were new and focused on issues in a way that I hadn’t had a chance to previously hear or think of. Now, as different areas of responsibilities are determined, we will get down to do the work that we were elected to do. I very much look forward to the next four years in this role, working with former and new Members alike. Some of the issues of great importance that I heard about in the community of Hay River include, and these are just some of them:

overdue, mid-life retrofit of the Diamond Jenness Secondary School;

progress on the replacement or renovation of our hospital;

taking the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority into the GNWT-wide system;

improvements to the communications around medical referrals to avoid waste and valuable resources;

sufficient education resources in our classrooms;

the completion of the assisted living facility in Hay River, staffed by GNWT employees;

initiatives to address the cost of living, including a review of the payroll tax and the rebates;

a review of the support to seniors and persons with disabilities ensuring fairness to all regardless of marital status;

recognizing the value of our NGOs, such as the family support centre, youth programs and ensuring that they are adequately resourced;

support for our community's aging infrastructure challenges;

establishment of a comprehensive community energy plan;

safety and security of our community through adequate resources to meet the demands on our local RCMP members;

providing tools and programs to our residents to allow them to participate in supporting the law enforcement activities;

crime prevention and awareness programs;

curriculum in our schools to prevent children from turning to drugs and alcohol.

These are just a few of the issues that I will be placing emphasis on in the weeks and months ahead. I believe that this is going to be a productive fours years. We share many issues in common as Members collectively. We respect and support each other and we can improve things for the benefit of all northerners.

I would like to thank the people of Hay River South for giving me the opportunity to return to this Legislative Assembly for my fourth term. I very much look forward to serving them to the best of my ability. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause