Debates of October 17, 2006 (day 9)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, being elected to public office is something that we should not take lightly. A lot of people think being elected to public office is a popularity contest, but I don’t agree with that. I think people now see a lot more to it than that. That being said, Mr. Speaker, when we are elected we should be held accountable to the very people that represent us. I always like to think that I am a reflection of the community that I represent. By the same token, Cabinet is a representative of this side of the House. We elect the Cabinet Members, we put them there, and if they say or do anything that we don’t agree with, then we should hold them responsible and take them to task.

Mr. Speaker, a lot of people will complain about issues and very few people will put their names forward. We’ve had municipal elections going on last night in Inuvik and I want to take this opportunity, if I could, to extend my congratulations to mayor-elect Derek Lindsay, and councillors-elect Chris Larocque, Vince Brown, Terry Halifax, Grace Loreen, Brian MacDonald, Jim MacDonald, Clarence Wood, and George Doolittle. They’ve been given a very important task by the residents of Inuvik and I encourage them, Mr. Speaker, not to take it lightly. Like I said, being elected to public office is not a task that we should take very lightly. We should take the responsibility that we’ve been given very seriously and if we don’t live up to these responsibilities or the trust that’s put on us, then I think we should be held accountable for anything we do or say while we’re in public office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause