Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I spoke about trust and building trust within this House and also within our communities. My questions today are for Madam Premier. What I would like to know is: how is this Assembly building trust between our Members and between this House and our constituents? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was noted. I mean, we have talked about it a lot. The newspaper, the media, everybody has said this is a changed government, and I have to put it back and say that the last government also was supposed to be a changed government, but I didn't feel that the people felt that it was changed enough, so they spoke out very loudly and said, "We're going to try it again. We're changing up our government."
We made a commitment. There is something wrong with politicians; if we were all doing a great job, the same Members would still be here. I am not saying that any of the colleagues didn't do a great job. I respect them all, but the people weren't satisfied, and so we weren't doing a good job. I think, a lot of times, the government has been pretty guarded in what we have done. We have taken a view sometimes, in my personal opinion, that says that we should know best, and if we don't know best, we look weak. I have to say that I am a mom, I am a social worker, I am a woman. I don't know if that makes a difference, but I believe it does. I don't see the lack of knowing answers as a weakness, and I don't see it as something that is a barrier. I see it as a strength, when you're willing to put it out there.
Already you see that this Cabinet has tried to work more closely with MLAs. We have shared information that has never been shared before. I hear the frustration of MLAs when we try to move in that way, saying, "You're taking too much. You're sharing too much. Get some work done." It is about finding that fine balance, is what I am struggling with. How much do we work together and build that trust, that relationship, and yet how much do we hold and get the work done? I know that some Members have said we have been here six months and nothing has happened. Other Members are saying we have been here six months and we have seen incredible things happen, with the change in how we are working across the floor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
My next question for the Premier would be: given yesterday's events around Aurora College staffing, how does this government intend to do a better job with consistent communication, public-facing communication?
Again, the mandate letters will be coming within this session. All Members will be told to engage as much as possible with stakeholders. That is important. The events that happened yesterday were a little bit unusual in that some things, you can share very openly, Mr. Speaker. If we are looking at doing programs or changing policies or legislation, all open. We should be as transparent and open as possible.
When we are talking about people's lives, individuals, Mr. Speaker, I do think we have to pull back a little bit and make sure that we are cautious, because one is being open and transparent, and the other is talking about respect for the person behind that. One of the Members talked about suicide today. A lot of times, if we are not careful in how we treat people, that is a risk that we take. I am not willing to take that risk; I would rather, as a leader, be told that I'm not open when it comes to talking about personal issues of people. I will talk generally about issues of people, though, and that is how we will try to work.
Yesterday, we heard a lot from colleagues about their concern over the way boards are staffed and managed. Does the Premier agree that the way that boards are appointed and managed could be improved to better build public trust?
Absolutely. I have already had conversations with all of our Cabinet, and we are talking about terms of boards. In fairness to all of us here, sometimes our plates are so busy that the easy answer is just to reappoint the person who has been there before, because it's easy. They're already there; we have already gone through the vetting; we know who they are. Is that the best way to appoint boards? That is what I have been challenging my Cabinet with.
I think they are all in agreement. We will actually be looking at terms of boards, because there is a benefit to having corporate knowledge, a person who has the knowledge, but there is a real benefit to having new blood. We see that here in this Assembly, a younger and new voice, and I think that we have an obligation to make sure, in all of our boards, that we have an equal balance of people who have the knowledge and people who have great new ideas coming forward. It is a discussion that we are on, and you will see a change within our policies within this term.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
