Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday
I allowed the motion of non-confidence in the Hon. Tony Whitford to be stood down on the order paper because many Members felt it is the responsibility of the Government Leader to address the concerns Members have in the lack of
confidence in her Ministers. It is not my intention, Mr. Speaker, to play games, as alleged yesterday, toward the Members. Many Members felt that not only is there a lack of confidence but also a disappointment in how some Ministers fulfill their duties and responsibilities.
Mr. Speaker, Members have previously met with the Government Leader and indicated their concerns, particularly with the Minister of Social Services. However, the response was that the Government Leader felt it meant if Members are concerned and if her Ministers do not believe her in relaying the ordinary Members' concerns, then it is the responsibility of the ordinary Members to express these concerns directly to the appropriate Minister. All the ordinary Members believe that her request is wrong. The Government Leader placed her name forward to lead this government and to act on concerns.
When the Government Leader met with the ordinary Members, many Members expressed discontentment with the Minister of Social Services, but nothing was done. There are Members that still have concerns with the inability of the Minister of Social Services, that the only method to address that concern is to take the Minister out of this House, which ordinary Members feel is not the appropriate procedure. They strongly feel that it is the Government Leader's job to address this particular concern.
The Government Leader agrees, to some degree I believe, that her Minister is somewhat weak, and we wonder why something is not being done about it.
My main concern, Mr. Speaker, as a Member, is that the current Minister of Social Services is not being fair to cabinet by being allowed to have only one portfolio. I agree with many other Northerners that Mr. Whitford is a very nice man with an academic degree. However, in my opinion, he is not politically astute to fulfill his responsibility. He does not appear to have the ability to make decisions. When I spoke to the Government Leader on this inability to address issues and the unfairness of cabinet responsibilities in how they are distributed, she stated to me that Social Services was a department which could take up one Minister's time, which I fully agree. It could be a department that could be allowed for one Minister to fulfill his responsibility in a pro-active manner. But the fact of the matter is that nothing is being done in Social Services. There is no money to address anything pro-active in Social Services; and further, Mr. Speaker, when did our government ever allow for one Minister to take on only one department and a minor agency, while at the same time other Ministers take on four or five departments? I believe that is unfair.
Taking into consideration the current Minister of Social Services has only one department, and it is not that he should have more, it is a question of, can he handle more? He has already resigned as Minister of Health. A significant portion of his Department of Social Services, corrections, is going to move to Justice. Corrections has 237 PYs and a budget allotment of $19,577,000. In total, Social Services will be going from 430 PYs to 193 PYs, and from the current $90 million to an approximate reduction of $70 million, which no doubt will be a significantly smaller department to manage. I wonder if this is going to be allowed to continue.
Unfortunately, I have to state publicly, Mr. Speaker, I have no confidence in the Minister of Social Services as a Member. As I previously stated, it is unfair to allow one Minister to let other Ministers carry more responsibilities. It is unfortunate that many of my colleagues on this side of the House strongly feel it should be the Government Leader who addresses this general lack of confidence in the Ministers, and it should be she who addresses this issue. Mr. Speaker, I do not share the same point of view. I believe we, as Members, place Ministers in the cabinet. The Government Leader was deprived of being allowed to choose her cabinet, so I believe it is the responsibility of Members to address concerns we have toward Ministers of the cabinet.