Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The federal Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty, has announced that the federal budget will be tabled on March 22nd and accordingly there is a great deal of speculation about what the budget may contain and whether the opposition will support it in the end. As the budget is a confidence vote, then, clearly, if not one of the opposition parties support it, the government will fall and there will be an election this coming May.
As far back as 2004 I have spoken in the House about the importance of the Premier providing the Western Arctic candidates for the Member of Parliament with our priorities from a legislative point of view. That year then-Premier Joe Handley provided a copy of our strategic plan to candidates, and the following election, two years later, he joined the other groups to ask national party leaders and Western Arctic candidates to commit to four key important issues; important to the North, that is.
In 2008 Premier Roland followed suit. These questions and subsequent responses were posted on the Premier’s website. This was a very effective exercise and I believe we should continue this practice.
If an election is called in March, it would occur prior to our next sitting, which is in late May. Given the strong possibility of a spring election, I believe that the Premier should lead a discussion with all the Members of this House while we are still sitting, to determine what key issues should be raised with the national party leaders and all the potential candidates for Member of Parliament in the Western Arctic.
We should use our collective voices to promote northern values, issues and objectives, and what better time to get those types of commitments from the potential candidates and parties than at election time? I will have questions for the Premier later today.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
