I have never made a secret of the fact that what I did was wrong, and I accepted my punishment. I can remember some of the authorities telling me at the time that they planned to make an example of my situation. Well, what sort of example has been made by the court's judgment of Paul Quassa?
With this decision, I am afraid that Judge Davis has provided us with an example that drunkenness, sexism and lack of self-control are all excusable, so long as you happen to be a political figure of today in the Northwest Territories. This court decision has failed to respect the dignity of aboriginal women, or to uphold their right to safety from humiliation and sexual harassment.
Mr. Speaker, within our past traditions our Inuvialuit forefathers used to turn their backs on people who were unwilling or unable to live in harmony with our society. In modern times we have counted on the court system to deal with the deviants among us. Since the court has now demonstrated its unwillingness to perform this role, perhaps we should now turn our backs collectively on Paul Quassa until he delivers an appropriate apology and seeks the confidence of Inuit in a general election. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause