Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to speak to some of the challenges of consensus government today, somewhat of the fundamental lacks or concerns I'm seeing.
In my 14th year, I've personally never seen -- or I want to stress or felt -- it being so ineffective or paternalistic in many ways. And, again, I'm saying I've seen and I've felt. Mr. Speaker, when I watch two-thirds of Members want to support something and it seems to paralyze Members or the Assembly to the point it has to be watered down so far it becomes meaningless, it questions what value do Members at large present here.
Mr. Speaker, we can all get behind motherhood issues or big cause issues; I mean it's like saying who would be in favour of cancer. Of course no one. It's easy to get behind those things. But when we talk about tough issues, government issues, legislative issues, we seem to be paralyzed, and it's always us against them.
Mr. Speaker, when the government brings forward its budget that's 99 percent done and then they ask us what do you think -- by the way it's printed and ready to be handed out -- it's not here for consultation; it's more of a drive by, just to answer a clarification, a few questions here or there. So when the government says we're cutting $150 million out of the budget over three years, it's more of a this is what we're doing, this is what we're doing, as opposed to what do you think. I mean, Mr. Speaker, when they expand the debt wall, they don't come to Members and say this is how much we're asking for and this is why. It's we've expanded the debt wall and we're asking for it, that's all you get.
Mr. Speaker, there are many examples of this when you are in a Member's side of the House that you just get told how things are going to be.
Mr. Speaker, 12 ridings are not represented in Cabinet. That's 63 percent of northern voices go silent, and we constantly have to be relentless trying to get the attention of the government.
When the Premier-wannabies asked me a question about what would I like to see in this coming Assembly, I was elated by the opportunity to express what my experience has seen. And one of the fundamental things I asked for was not about I want a road, I want a plane, I want any of those stuff, I said -- and I meant this -- Members want to be heard. Members want to feel relevant. When Members have issues in their ridings, they want to feel that they are being recognized, appreciated. And we hear from the government things like, we'll see what we can do, we'll see what we can work. But when I asked a question last week about maybe we should talk about an issue, we get a dismissal from the Premier saying, no, not interested. And that's not how consensus government was supposed to work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member, from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements.
