Jane Groenewegen

Any responsible government should always be monitoring for efficiencies and effectiveness in any governance model that they have. That would be an expected thing to do. I sat on the committee for Agencies, Boards, and Commissions’ review with the Minister and with Ms. Lee in the last Assembly. Somewhere between the research inventory of our boards and what has come forward now from this government there has been a strange quantum leap. Where did this Minister get this idea that going from 70 to seven was ever going to fly in the Northwest Territories?

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in every meeting we, as leaders, stop to say a prayer for guidance in the work that we do on behalf of our constituents. The prayer that we pray at the opening of every session day asks that we have constant recognition for the dignity and aspirations of those whom we serve. Today, Mr. Speaker, I would like to elaborate on that prayer in relation to the pressing issue before us. We are taught to pray by beginning and entering with our thanksgiving and then making our requests known. Today I thank God for our country, for the hard-fought freedoms, the...

Mr. Speaker, I will try to be brief. My colleagues here have spoken again very eloquently to the motion, have covered and canvassed almost every point that they could. I just have a few comments that I would like to add in closing.

Mr. Speaker, it’s been another interesting day at the Legislative Assembly. Mr. Speaker, we have to ask ourselves why did we need to step forward at this point with a theme day and a motion on this particular topic. It’s because we have heard from our constituents. They feel strongly about this Board Reform Initiative and, therefore, we feel strongly about it. The...

I’d like to table page 12 of February 6, 2009, Yellowknifer specifically highlighting a quote from Premier Floyd Roland saying, “Premier Floyd Roland said the motion is a personal attack. Their shadow Cabinet must now be thinking they are ready to take over real roles.”

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank everybody who participated in this debate on this motion today, both Members on this side of the House, and thank you to the Cabinet side for also contributing to this by sharing their thoughts on this motion that’s come before us today.

I want to just wrap up. I don’t want to take an extraordinary amount of time. The Members have very loudly put the concerns that have brought about this motion, this drastic motion, being brought to the floor of the House; as some have indicated, “unprecedented” in this history of this government.

Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS pursuant to subsection 61.(1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the Legislative Assembly chooses a Premier and recommends to the Commissioner the appointment of Members to the Executive Council;

AND WHEREAS pursuant to subsection 61.(2) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the persons appointed hold office during the pleasure of the Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS many events have transpired that have eroded the confidence of the general public and Members of this Assembly in the performance of the Premier and Executive...

I am pleased to second this motion that has been brought forward today by Mr. Abernethy. I appreciate the work that he has put into this issue along with other Members and to his analysis of what has happened. It is so thorough that it is difficult to know what to say and to actually add to it. He has pretty much covered all the bases.

Mr. Speaker, just to summarize and let you know what my concerns are about this change to the Supplementary Health Benefits Policy, I have indicated we did feel for several years as a government that it was necessary to do something to assist those families that...

Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest again this morning as our Finance Minister was on the radio talking about the blind ambition of particularly myself, political ambition to sit on this side of the House. Mr. Speaker, let me tell the people again of the Northwest Territories that I did sit on the other side of the House at one time. I believe it was two governments ago. In 2000 I sat in this House on the Cabinet side and as a result of some things that occurred, which were highly publicized at the time, this House decided to strike a committee of inquiry which determined that as a result of...

To my colleague Mr. Jackson Lafferty, a very up and coming finding his stride in a difficult environment, but deserves a lot of our respect too. I wished he was a little more hands on and left a little bit less to his staff in terms of his communications. But somebody with absolute promise in the long term. I thought I would never be back in this government again, but I would say keep your eye on Jackson Lafferty from the Tlicho, because he is somebody that will be here for a long time I hope and will do good things for the people of the Northwest Territories.

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To the Premier, I just...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have brought this motion forward as the chair of the Priorities and Planning committee. I do support the motion and, Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke quite extensively in this Legislature about where I feel the 16th Assembly has got to this way and it is today where the workings of this Assembly seem to be dysfunctional and not in the best interest of the people of the Northwest Territories. There is a great long list of junctures and incidents and workings that could be recited here, but I gave quite a lengthy list of those yesterday. What I would prefer...