As he walks out of his office in the Manitoba Legislature, you could say George Hickes is preparing for his daily battle.

So how did he get here? It's been quite a journey for a lad born along the Hudson's Bay coast. He spent his first winters living in an igloo.

Hickes is now the first and only Inuit MLA in the province, and for the past ten years George Hickes has been the Speaker of the House.

"A speaker's role is similar to a teacher in a classroom and a referee in any sporting event," said Hickes, who on many occasions finds himself scolding those in need of it.

It's his job to maintain order and to ensure the rules of the house are obeyed.

"When you hear me say order that means I've had enough," explains George.

"If it's really heated you'll hear me say order, order, order, and if it continues, that's when I'll stand and they know they've pushed it too far," he says.

Hickes says that gets him at least a couple minutes of peace, but he laughs and adds that it is never a long reprieve.

Still, for Hickes managing the hoard on Broadway is a walk in the park compared with his early life.

He was once known as a "cold water cowboy" when he worked capturing live Beluga Whales off the shores of Churchill.

"You get a real adrenaline rush. The whales try to outsmart you and you try to outsmart them, so it's a real challenge," he says.

The descendants of those whales are still enjoyed at zoos and aquariums around the world.

For Hickes the debate, even when it's heated is never a bad thing, and he says it's essential to Democracy.

"A lot of the individuals are standing up for what they believe in, the values of the party and the values of how they live their lives. They are standing up for a reason," says Hickes, and for that reason he feels great value in his work.

Four years ago he started a speaker outreach program to teach children about the parliamentary process.

"In our house members settle their differences through words. There are lots of countries out there using violence," he says.

It's his goal to get more youth involved in politics, voting and even running for office. He sees it as essential to a strong government.

If Hickes has any other ambitions he's not sharing them, and for now says he's happy and satisfied in his role as Speaker of the House.

With a report from CTV's Joe Olafson.