Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, throughout our lives we all carry labels based on where we live, what we do and what roles we have in our families. Society also classifies us based on our income levels, our social standing, our cultural backgrounds and who we associate with or call friends. But with these labels come judgements and once you think of someone in terms of any one of those labels, you may unfortunately make a statement about their opinion and position before giving them a chance to speak.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to share an example with you. Over the past two weeks, since the Nunavut Leaders' Summit in Cambridge Bay, there have been a number of comments made by people and in particular representatives of women's organizations, questioning my comments and opinions on gender parity in the Nunavut Legislature. At this meeting, I spoke on behalf of the Nunavut Caucus and stated our position that a decision to include gender parity is one that, if implemented, would fundamentally change the concept of democratic government and should not be decided by a small group of politicians and leaders but instead be taken to the public through a plebiscite.
No government currently legislates who can or should serve in government based upon any personal characteristics, especially not their gender. To prove there is not a public consensus and a public agreement on this issue and to make a case for a plebiscite, I expressed my own personal view that legislating gender parity may discriminate and label women, rather than advance them. Again, let me stress that I expressed my opinion as a person and as a citizen of Nunavut to illustrate the fact that not all people, men or women, agree that gender parity should be included in the Nunavut government.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.