David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I listened to the Ministers’ statements earlier today and I was impressed that the three Ministers -- Housing, Health and Social Services, and Education -- actually broke their silence on board reform.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to speak today, as well, on the issue of the government’s plan to reform boards in the Northwest Territories. I spoke numerous times about my belief that the government has not done adequate or meaningful costing, research, consultation or analysis as it pertains to board reform. Mr. Speaker, no one can debate the fact that efficiencies need to be found. This continues to be a priority of the 16th Assembly. We seem to have gone from finding efficiencies, which is a noble pursuit, to potentially gutting our education, health and housing boards. The edict that we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I obviously stand here today in full support of the motion that is before us for a variety of reasons, many of which I have outlined in this House since we have been back to work here. I’ll just go over a few more of them, if I could.

I’ve been in politics, in elected office, for over a decade now and five years here in this House in my role as MLA for Kam Lake. Decisions have been made here in this consensus style of government. We call it a consensus government, but the decisions seem to be made by Cabinet. When I talk about Cabinet I think it’s a couple of Cabinet...

That’s good to know. In speaking to educators around the Territory, DEAs, school boards, and anyone, for that matter, people are having trouble understanding why the government is insistent in moving ahead with the Board Reform Initiative. By throwing education in with health, social services and housing we’re taking a huge gamble on our future. Our future is the children of this Territory. I’m wondering why the Minister is willing to gamble the future of our Territory and the children here in the Territory by supporting an initiative like this board reform. Thank you.

Finally. I think it’s about time that they stood up and are held accountable for their support of this Board Reform Initiative. I want to begin by asking the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if he’s not going to defend the interest of the DEAs that are out there, the school boards, the parents, and the children in our Territory, who else is going to defend their interests at that Cabinet table?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a number of people in the gallery today and I just wanted to welcome all of the constituents that I have up in the audience today as well as parents and students, organizers of all those who showed up today in protest of the board reform. I welcome your participation in this process and, again, welcome to the House.

---Applause

Finally...and say something about board reform. Like I said earlier to the Minister of Education, if they’re not going to protect the institutions that are out there, the parents, the families, the children, the sick, the infirm, somebody has to do it. If they’re not going to do it, who is? The only Minister earlier today that made a Minister’s statement that said they supported the Board Reform Initiative was Minister McLeod, the Minister of the Housing Corporation. I didn’t hear the Minister of Health and Social Services say she supported it. I didn’t hear the Minister of Education, Culture...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is one of the toughest positions as an MLA that I’ve found myself in. We’ve got a lot of issues at play here and it seems that both sides have come to an impasse, which brings us to the motion that is before us today.

I think there was a way out. There was a way that maybe it didn’t have to go this way. Maybe we didn’t have to end up on the floor of the House moving a motion to remove the entire Executive and the Premier. I think that is excessive. For the folks out there it is a drastic, drastic measure. But you know what? Tough times call for tough measures.

When...

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize a few folks from the UNW: Gayla Wick and Ms. Barb Wyness. I see Norm Smith up there as well. Again, I wanted to thank them for all their work they’ve been doing on the supplementary health benefits petition. As well, I’ve got a constituent up there on the camera, Mr. Amos Scott. Welcome.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly do support the motion that is before us today and I’d like to thank the chair of the Social Program committee, Mr. Beaulieu, and Mr. Abernethy for all the work that they’ve done on putting this motion here. The work that Mr. Abernethy has done was quite extensive. It covered off a lot of bases. Also, I wanted to thank everybody who has contributed in one way or another to getting this motion here today and that’s the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society, the Northwest Territories Seniors’ Society and everybody else that’s out there that called us, e-mailed us, phoned us...