Thank you, Madam Chairperson. Madam Chairperson, I can clearly remember the debate in this Legislative Assembly on urging the government to appeal Justice de Weerdt's ruling. I can clearly remember the government's view, and we quoted the government's view in our report. It was one of the most troublesome and diverse issues that we had to deal with in this Legislative Assembly. It was one of the hardest things for the government and Members to deal with. A complete change in the political structure of the Northwest Territories is what we are dealing with. I can remember very clearly this government saying, we need a political solution, we need a political solution, we need a political solution. Where is the political solution? Do you know where the political solution is for this government, Madam Chairperson? We will pass the buck to the 14th Assembly. A great political solution. It completely astounds me that elected people to the Legislative Assembly, our government -- you are supposed to be leaders. Is that how you lead? You pass the buck.
No wonder many people are calling this a lame-duck government, that will not make a fundamental decision on the basic principle of a political solution. You have the opportunity to supply the glue, the fabric to hold the Western Territory together. I have never been so disgusted in my life to see people sit on their hands and offer no solution. We are Ordinary Members. We have very limited resources. We have very limited staff. Yet we went out and tried to create a political solution. We knew from day one that you cannot change Justice de Weerdt's ruling, and this government knew it too. But what we also knew was there was a political commitment by this government to look for a political solution. So what did we tell the people of the Northwest Territories when we went out to see them? We said, we have come to hear you, we want your advice. We are looking for a political solution that we can take back and offer. But the bill is in the House. The judge made his ruling, they said. Can you really do something. Oh, the government has assured us. They assured us publicly that they were looking for a political solution. But all they were looking for was time in order to pass the buck to the next Assembly, so you have to make no decision, no decision.
There are those, Madam Chairperson, that criticize the Members for going to listen to the public. They said it was a waste of time and a waste of money. Well, you know what? Today I say I agree with you and I apologize to them. I apologize to the public of the Northwest Territories because I misled them. I went out there and told them that government was going to listen to them. I went out there and told them that the government was looking for political solutions to this issue. But alas, it was a waste of time. It was a waste of money because the government was not looking for any political solution. All they were looking to do was pass the buck to the next Assembly.
I apologize, Madam Chairperson, to all those people that took the time to come and make presentations to our committee, and I am deeply sorry that we wasted their time. I was being paid to do it, they were not. I honestly thought, when the government stood up and said they were looking for political solutions, they meant it. But alas, they did not. All they wanted was time so that could pass the buck, and that is what they are doing. There is no other process. Intergovernmental forum, this is going to go through an intergovernmental forum to buy us time so we do not have to make a decision, is basically what you are saying. This is a dark day.
This is a dark day in the history of the Northwest Territories and a dark day for this 13th Legislative Assembly. But it is going to be very clear to the people of the Northwest Territories what this government stands for. It stands for doing nothing. It stands for passing the buck. So I hope you are all proud of yourselves that you stood up for what you believed in, passing the buck. With that, I will request a recorded vote. Thank you, Madam Chairperson.