Debates of October 19, 2007 (day 2)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the 16th Assembly, we’re going into, I believe, the most important four years in the history of the NWT, and all 19 of us in here play a big part in how the next four years shape up. We, as other colleagues have mentioned, have heard issues from a lot of constituents during the campaign, and we want to act on these issues. Now that we’re starting to get some order in the Assembly here, Cabinet’s been selected and -- they haven’t been assigned portfolios yet but they have been selected -- you’re going to have to start listening to what people are telling you. We, on this side of the House, are going to tell you what people told us and want us to relay onto the government because you have an opportunity as the new Cabinet to make sure that the next four years run smoothly and things get done. If there’s deadwood within the system, get rid of it, because we have a fresh Cabinet now and it should be a fresh government, a fresh start, and start doing what people want us to do. I want Cabinet to go in there and say that I will be the dog that wags the tail; I’m not going to have the tail wag the dog. I think that would be a good attitude. You are the leaders of the department; you give them the direction based on what you hear from us and we give you that direction based on what we hear from the people.

We have to act on it, Mr. Speaker. We are in a very important four years. We have some projects coming up; we have decisions that have to be made; and we have to act on it. We can’t just go through the motions for another four years. We have to be, as one Member said the other day in his campaign speech for Cabinet, we have to be proactive to the needs of the people in the Northwest Territories and not react after the fact, which I think has been happening too much lately.

One thing I did forget to mention yesterday when I was doing my opening statement, I have to commend the people of the Northwest Territories that went out and voted, because they’ve exercised their democratic privilege and it is a privilege to be able to go out and vote. A lot of people don’t have that and sometimes we take it for granted. So I would like this new government, all 19 of us, to listen to what people are telling us, act on it and act in their bests interests…

Mr. McLeod, your time is up.

---Applause