Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've been thinking about this for a year and holy smokers, I felt like something really ran over me there when I was trying to read the motion in, and I guess it's a surge of emotion and respect for the Whitford family, Tony in particular, and of course people like his brother Marc who we have here in the gallery today. And I want to thank the Whitford family for allowing me to bring forward this initiative. I'd spoken to his three sons in different forms who I knew. I think I pressed the issue in particular to two of them out of the three, and everyone I spoke to in different ways all liked the idea of the initiative.
I am going to talk a little bit about Tony and why he represented the North so well. I mean, if I would like to begin, I'd like to call him one, not the only, in all fairness, but, you know, one of the North's favourite sons.
He was Captain NWT in my mind. He never missed an opportunity to talk about the North. He loved visiting Northerners. There wasn't a hand he couldn't find time to shake or pause to say hello to somebody. If he didn't know you, he made sure, you know, he stopped and said hi to you anyway, and he had a heart. He wore his heart on his sleeve.
I've known Tony, as I said previously when I talked about him, that I've known him basically my whole adult life. And I even knew him when I was a teenager, but I really got to know him as I got older. For some it's Tony; for some it's Anthony; some it's a bunch of other ways to describe him, but to me he was a legend and a myth.
There are many things I know about him personally, and I'd like to start with that before I talk about his credits to this institution.
In many ways, he was a mentor to me, and many. And I don't want to say only to me; I want to stress to so many. You know, when we would be auctioneering together, whether it's at the Rotary bike auction or helping the NWT Disabilities Council, I knew nobody put more energy into those causes than him. You know, he has a wonderful story about, you know, being a JP. Why? Because he wanted to be there to help people in the kindest of ways. You know, there's so many steps about how he has honoured people by just being there.
One of the favourite stories I often hear is when even former Member Sandy Lee talked about how exciting it was to work for him, being one of Tony's team and how he empowered the team to get things done and how he'd always make time for people; he cared.
Now from his election experience, or I should say his formal public service through the Assembly, he was elected in the 12th Assembly and eventually became the Minister of health, then on the Minister of social services, the Minister responsible for Science Institute of the NWT. Then he went on to public utilities board, transportation, public safety and services.
Mr. Speaker, they may be titles, but the important factor is Tony was such a guy that would spend the time getting to know the people, the staff, and the issues. And he would take files home and he'd take every issue personally, like deeply, in the sense of he wanted to get to know the files, wanted to get to know the people, wanted to get to know the problems. He wasn't just let's keep the paper moving guy; he was the guy wanting to know the story. It was more than just a signature on a piece of paper to him. It was about what did this mean to help Northerners. And I can tell you that personally. I may not have sat in his office in any one of those portfolios, and that would be the truth, but the truth is I know what he's like when he wanted to deal and learn about an issue and learn about people.
He went on and became Speaker in the 14th Assembly, and he even served as Sergeant-at-Arms in this Assembly. Such big shoes to fill; I could only imagine.
When I was in my first term, the 15th Assembly, he was named deputy Commissioner and then eventually made it to Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, a role I couldn't imagine being filled in a more perfect way. I'm not suggesting any of our Commissioners had done a bad job; I'm just saying it was so perfectly tailored for Tony. He was the guy. He liked being at the crowd, saying hi to people. And you know what? I think he was a beacon of light for most of us.
Now his history in the territories, as I said he was born in Fort Smith. He got his bachelor's degree in social work later in life. And to me, that was a perfect fit for the guy who cared about everything and everyone. It was the perfect, perfect application for a guy to pursue because he genuinely did care, and it was a perfect fit. And of course he later married his wife Elaine and had his children, or I should say his studies came after he had the kids technically but that's here nor there.
Mr. Speaker, over the years, all I can tell you is that the Whitford family, you know, is a combined family. Yes, it may not just be Tony. I mean, it's Marc and the contributions of the other brothers as well. It's a significant family that has made such much a strong dedication. But Tony's highlights, I'll tell you make me proud as being his friend. And as I've said before, I was Tony's friend. I think he was friends with so many people, but he was also my friend in the sense as well, and it was very exciting.
Tony would tell me stories. I remember as we'd sit outside either having coffee at Tim Horton's or even talking here about his days working for Helen Nasogaluak, the former Commissioner, or even John Parker, our legendary Commissioner, about days that have changed that even helped move the Northwest Territories government to where it is today. You know, if you'd asked him about one role, what mattered more, I don't think he could pick it. You know, could you say was it best being Commissioner? He'd probably say well, some days. But then he'd regale a story about being a marriage commissioner or a justice of the peace, the way he had influenced and touched people's lives.
And I can certainly say I am one of the lives that he had touched and helped, I think, improve for the best. I mean, I'm so grateful for his time and his energy that he's dedicated to this House. He'd served many years in the best of ways, and I think his accomplishments by themselves I think we could spend hours talking about but, more importantly, we're here to just run through the highlights that I'm trying to cover.
I know his parliamentary experience, he believed in this institution. When he was made Speaker, I mean I would often see how proud he was about the process, the dedication, the history, the respect for everything, and how important it was to him here.
He had a sense of humour and from time to time, he'd lay the law down, too, and he was very good at both. But he was very kind when people stepped the line when he was Speaker. And to me, that's the essence of what he was. Yes, here are the rules; I'll let you colour out of the lines a little bit, but you know what, the institution matters; do not offend the structure of the institution and he would pull you back in. I mean, I believe, if I remember correctly, he presided over the Mickey Mouse tie debates, the great thundering roll about what proper attire is in the Assembly. And he'd seen many stories that have changed, that turned legends of what we've seen into myths. But to me, he's one of the greatest legends of the Northwest Territories we've had. And sometimes it's the old, if we want to drill down too far, I think we missed the point. Really, the generosity of his time and his kindness is the greatest gift he's given us all and hence that's why I want this opportunity to say this motion is -- you know, I was honestly having trouble reading it. I didn't think it would impact me as much as it did, even just thinking about it. Getting it organized was no big deal. It was like oh, just type away, type away. But until the words were being uttered today, I mean, I just felt this weight that I haven't felt in a while. Because I think it not just matters to me; it matters to a lot of people.
And as I am going to finish and pause and welcome any thoughts from folks, my colleagues that is, I couldn't do this without the support of the Whitford family, both Linda and Marc; I've appreciated that. His sons, Blair, Ian, and Warren. And I would say that city council of Yellowknife, I've reached out to them and they're excited by potentially this opportunity to have a conversation about this initiative. And that's not to put pressure on people how to vote; I want people to vote from the heart -- no, I do, genuinely I do. But there are many people excited by this. I mean, the people of Rotary hearing that, you know, this initiative was being brought up. I mean, he had received the Paul Harris Award.
Now, most people may not know what that is but that's an exemplary award through Rotary about community service. I mean, even his personal motto is about service. And if there's a person that really did walk the talk, it was Tony.
So, Mr. Speaker, I am going to pause here for now. And I should say at this point I will ask for a recorded vote just in case I forget later. And I would thank my colleagues for their consideration of this. And I think in the end of the day, this would be honouring a great man who has meant so much to the institution of this Assembly, the institution of government, but most importantly the families and the people his kindness had touched throughout the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Member for Yellowknife Centre. The Member for Range Lake. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. The Member for Monfwi. The Member for Frame Lake. The Member for Great Slave. The Member for Yellowknife North. The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. The Member for Sahtu.
All those opposed, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand.
The Member for Yellowknife South. The Member for Kam Lake. The Member for Hay River North. The Member for Hay River South. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. The Member for Nunakput.
Thank you. Colleagues, all those in favour, nine. Zero opposed. Six abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Bill 36, Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2026-2027, be read for the third time. Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just have a couple comments on process. I'm not going to get into anyone's views of who's -- Mr. Speaker, just a couple words on process. I think I'll leave it at that.
Mr. Speaker, I do agree with the comments just now. Consensus is not unanimity. That's not the point. Consensus is a process. It involves conversations and discussions and information sharing in this government. I can't speak for the 16th or 17th or 18th Assembly, but the 19th and the 20th Assembly, it's a process that begins over the course of many months, a lot of information sharing, discussions that aren't structured, that are not one-offs, that are not individualized, that are not backroom deals, that are not one-off deals. The way that we've been doing it here, myself and the chair of AOC, is to get together to collect the positions of Cabinet, to collect the positions of AOC as best as can be reflected, not unanimity. Cabinet isn't unanimity, Mr. Speaker, but it is a place where we at the end of the day do come forward and present with Cabinet solidarity. But the process of getting there is by far not one of expecting or demanding unanimity, and it's often a place of much voracious discussion. But we can get to a place where then the different Members of this House can sit down through the chair, through myself, after many months of review, to determine whether or not there is something that we can move forward on as a collective sufficient to reach a decision here culminating in today.
So, Mr. Speaker, I always accept, and frankly expect, that there will be people who vote against the budget, whether or not there are small projects or major projects in their ridings. And that's certainly their purview to do so. But, overall, Mr. Speaker, we do want to try to consistently do our best to look at what risks befall the territory, what fiscal capacity we have to reach them, and then to never give up on the fact that we have to continue to act as leaders to move forward, to advocate, to speak out, to go to the federal government, to work with Indigenous governments, so that at the end of the day the whole of the Northwest Territories will ultimately be continuing to move in a positive direction. There's quite a number of challenges, Mr. Speaker. One budget isn't going to fix them all, but one budget can start to fix some of the problems that we find, whether it's identifying the fact that we may need to look at our school assessments, whether it's identifying the fact that we need to look at, you know, having a major bridge, or whether it's continuing the work we're doing in housing. So, Mr. Speaker, we'll keep doing all that work that's across the territory, doing it in a way that, again, follows a process of analysis, of risk analysis. It's not always very dramatic but it is one that, having increased over the last few years, how we do that planning, to improve that planning, trying to be more evidence based about it and not simply be one by one by one so that we can get a handle on where we're going.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I'll conclude, and I would ask, please, for a recorded vote. Thank you.
The Member for Yellowknife South. The Member for Kam Lake. The Member for Hay River North. The Member for Hay River South. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. The Member for Nunakput. The Member for Sahtu. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. The Member for Frame Lake. The Member for Great Slave. The Member for Yellowknife North. The Member for Thebacha.
All those opposed, please stand.
The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. The Member for Yellowknife Centre. The Member for Kam Lake. The Member for Monfwi -- the Member for Range Lake, my apologies. The Member for Monfwi.
All those abstaining, please stand.
Results of the recorded vote: 12 in favour, 4 opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried. Bill 36 has had its third reading.
---Carried
Third reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Bill 37, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures and Borrowing Authorization), No. 3, 2024-2025, be read for the third time. Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Member for Yellowknife South. The Member for Kam Lake. The Member for Hay River North. The Member for Hay River South. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. The Member for Nunakput. The Member for Sahtu. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. The Member for Monfwi. The Member for Frame Lake. The Member for Great Slave. The Member for Yellowknife North. The Member for Thebacha.
Thank you. All those opposed, please stand.
The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. The Member for Yellowknife Centre. The Member for Range Lake.
All those abstaining, please stand. The results of the recorded vote: 13 in favour, 3 opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried. Bill 37 has had third reading.
---Carried
Third reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake that Bill 38, Supplementary Appropriation Act, (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2025-2026, be read for the third time. And, Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Member for Yellowknife South. The Member for Kam Lake. The Member for Hay River North. The Member for Hay River South. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. The Member for Nunakput. The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. The Member for Sahtu. The Member for Yellowknife Centre. The Member for Range Lake. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. The Member for Monfwi. The Member for Frame Lake. The Member for Great Slave. The Member for Yellowknife North. The Member for Thebacha.
All those opposed, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand. The results of the recorded vote are 16 in favour, zero opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried. Bill 38 has had its third reading.
---Carried
Third reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes that Bill 39, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2025-2026, be read for the third time. And, Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Member for Yellowknife South. The Member for Kam Lake. The Member for Hay River North. The Member for Hay River sore. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. The Member for Nunakput. The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. The Member for Sahtu. The Member for Yellowknife Centre. The Member for Range Lake. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. The Member for Monfwi. The Member for Frame Lake. The Member for Great Slave. The Member for Yellowknife North. The Member for Thebacha.
All those opposed, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand.
The results of the recorded vote, 16 in favour, zero opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried. Bill 39 has had third reading.
---Carried
