Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
WHEREAS pursuant to section 61(1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the Legislative Assembly recommends to the Commissioner the appointment of Members of the Executive Council;
AND WHEREAS pursuant to section 61(2) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the persons appointed hold office during the pleasure of the Legislative Assembly;
AND WHEREAS the Assembly, pursuant to these powers, has chosen the Honourable Louis Sebert to sit as a Member of the Executive Council;
NOW THEREFORE, I MOVE, seconded by the Honourable Member for Kam Lake, that this Assembly formally revokes the pleasure of the Assembly from the appointment of the Honourable Louis Sebert as a Member of the Executive Council;
AND FURTHER, that this Assembly recommends that a Member be chosen to be a Member of the Executive Council.
Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Members. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this motion this afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I would be the first to admit that I could do a better job as Minister. As a new Minister and a new MLA like many of us, with no previous experience in this government, I have faced a steep learning curve, and there is still plenty of room for further learning and improvement.
I also want to make it clear that I have no interest in evading responsibility for my actions and my performance as a Minister. Democracy and accountability are inseparable, Mr. Speaker. I believe that we hold our jobs as MLAs as a public trust and we must always be ready to explain our decisions and actions to the people of the Northwest Territories. The people who elect us to exercise power on their behalf place enormous faith in each one of us. Collectively and individually we need to earn and maintain that trust by submitting our decisions and actions to the judgment of the people we serve openly and transparently.
I would like to take a moment, though, to reflect on the past two years and the events that have brought us to this place. When we were first elected to this House, Mr. Speaker, there was a strong sense among us that the people of the NWT wanted a change in how the government did business. Many of us, myself included, agreed that the people of the NWT deserved a government that was more open and transparent and ultimately more accountable to the residents of our territory.
Among our first orders of business was establishing shared priorities for our four-year term and then agreeing to a mandate that described how this Assembly would work together to achieve its priorities. This was a new step, an important step, towards accountability for the people and Government of the Northwest Territories and I wholly supported it. I also wholly supported the idea that we owe to the people of the Northwest Territories to be accountable for how we were going to implement our mandate.
I think I made that clear when I, along with other Members of Cabinet, voted on a motion proposed by the Premier on December 17, 2015, to establish a mid-term accountability review. As a consensus government, Cabinet does not own the successes of the government on its own. To the extent that we act and decide together, all Members on both sides of this House share in the government's success and bear responsibility for its failings.
As the joint owners of this government's mandate and the achievements related to them, it is right that we assess that progress together and hold each other accountable for what we have done to advance our agenda. I still think the intention between a formal mid-term review and assessment of progress on our mandate was absolutely the right one, but I now wonder if putting as much focus on a mid-term review as we did meant we, as an Assembly, failed to take advantage of other opportunities to course correct and deal with concerns before now. Good, honest and early feedback on my performance from my colleagues would have been an important opportunity to deal with issues and concerns early on before things got seriously off course or people got extremely frustrated.
The discussion here today has been helpful and it has been valuable to hear more directly from my colleagues on their concerns with my performance as Minister. They have given me a lot to think about, Mr. Speaker, and I think I can definitely learn from what they have said. While I recognize there is always more that I can do, I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish in our first two years. For more than 30 years I practiced law in a small NWT community and my practice took me all over the territory. Based on my experience, I have made access to justice a priority as Minister.
I think we have taken some important steps in this regard, including expanding the Outreach Legal Aid Clinic to give more residents access to free, confidential legal advice. I am also proud that we have been able to expand the Mediation and Parenting after Separation and Divorce Program under my leadership.
While I know Members and the community have had concerns with the A New Day Program, I am pleased to say that we have made the transition to a long-term program, and that men who use violence in their relationships continue to get the programming they need from culturally-competent and qualified counsellors.
Addressing long-standing land issues has also been important to me. Over the years, I have become aware of issues surrounding equity leases and I have directed the Department of Lands to deal with this. It has been a bigger issue than anticipated and has required six months of review, but we are making progress in dealing with this long-term issue. I am also working to deal with some of the long-standing challenges associated with the Power Corporation, Mr. Speaker. Under my leadership, we have replaced the costly board of the corporation and made changes to the management structure. I have also directed a review of procurement practices at the corporation based on issues that came to light around the decision to purchase new generators for the Jackfish Power Plant. I'm particularly pleased that three of the generators have arrived.
As Minister of Public Engagement and Transparency I travel to every constituency in the territory to hear from residents about their views on how the GNWT can be more open and transparent. We are making good progress on our commitments in this area, including drafting the GNWT's first open government policy, finalizing a legislative review for ombudsman legislation, and completing a review of ATIPP and a proposal for legislative changes.
Under my leadership, the GNWT has also recently completed a highly successful engagement on cannabis legislation and we are well-positioned to be ready for pending national legalization next summer. Mr. Speaker, there is always room for improvement in any job, but I think I have a good record in my first two years as a Minister. I remain committed to doing a good job on behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories, and with the advice and support of my colleagues, and I thank Members for their feedback today and I will apply that advice and support regardless of which side of the House I sit on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to request a recorded vote.
The Member for Tu NedheWiilideh, the Member for Nahendeh, the Member for Frame Lake, the Member for Yellowknife Centre, the Member for Deh Cho, the Member for Yellowknife North, the Member for Kam Lake.
Masi. All those opposed, please stand.
The Member for Nunakput, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, the Member for Range Lake, the Member for Great Slave, the Member for Yellowknife South, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, the Member for Hay River South, the Member for Thebacha, the Member for Hay River North, the Member for Mackenzie Delta, the Member for Sahtu.
Masi. All those abstaining, please stand. The results of the vote: seven in favour, 11 opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is defeated.
Defeated
