Thank you. Thank you, honourable Members. Mr. Speaker, although Members adopted a code of ethics and a statement of zero tolerance for violence, the public perception is that these are not being followed. Particularly in the last year, public inquiries, criminal offences, violent situations involving alcohol and, most recently, lawsuits involving Members of the Assembly have frequently been in the news. People are wondering when these things they read are going to come to a stop.
A concern has been raised that if an early election is called, current MLAs will catch potential opponents unaware and will have an unfair advantage. Mr. Speaker, I do not believe this will be the case. All northerners who are interested know this is an election year. Anyone considering running for the Assembly is probably already thinking about it and preparing. I even know that one of my opponents is having an election meeting on February 27th, which I commend him for. In fairness, I'm even giving him free press. This is a democratic process which we enjoy as Canadians.
Decisions about the timing of the next election, Mr. Speaker, are usually made in private. However, Mr. Speaker, I agree with Mr. Lewis that this issue should be decided through public discussion in this Assembly.
---Applause
I sense that the public would prefer to see an election sooner, rather than later and, therefore, I am considering introducing a motion to have the election this spring.
---Applause
Mr. Speaker, it is crucial that the people have confidence in their government and in their Legislative Assembly. We must be sure that the people support our efforts on their behalf and the only way to do that is to have a mandate from the people. I believe an early election will give this whole Assembly a very clear and new mandate. Thank you.