Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I had some final remarks that I wanted to make. I would just like to refresh everyone. I was speaking about the issue of my freedom of speech and in it I mentioned that my words were couched in may or may have language and again, this is because the letter precluded me from seeking clarification from the Clerk of this Assembly because he became another person I could not talk to about matters raised in the letter.
I have a couple of more points, Mr. Chairman, before I close. The letter that affected me also silenced a Cabinet Minister directly, Mr. Handley, and this had an effect on Cabinet on this issue because, Mr. Chairman, the process also took out Mr. Antoine, who was the backup representative on that committee and Mrs. Groenewegen. That took them out of the Cabinet consultation process as well. In effect, what was left was basically a runt Cabinet and it was greatly diminished in dealing with this important issue.
Mr. Chairman, Cabinet government is central to our democracy and by removing three Members of our seven-Member Cabinet to deal with this issue, the Cabinet became very emasculated.
Mr. Chairman, the vital question that remains for me is where did the authority for the special committee to take on the quasi-judicial power, where did that come from? Certainly I do not see it in the terms of reference and I do not recall debating it in this House so the question remains for me, where did it come from?
Mr. Chairman, I do not know all the answers but I am concerned enough, and I think all of us should be, to ask these questions because that is what our democracy is all about.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, this exercise with dealing with the current conflict issue has come at a considerable cost in both time and public funds. No doubt it can be argued that the issues raised are very important but, Mr. Chairman, in my view, the public interest and other issues, such as the cost to the public purse, are important enough to consider alongside these issues.
I hope my colleagues will consider these thoughts that we need to exam and learn from this conflict exercise and there is no doubt that we need to. We can do so in an open and candid manner and learn lessons from it or we can fail to do so and be doomed to repeat what I have pointed out here that I have not had answers to.
I want to leave this House, Mr. Chairman, on the subject in my opening remarks. I will have questions and comments through when we debate the recommendations but I want to leave this House with some prescient words from the American statesman, Benjamin Franklin, that those who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Mr. Chairman, let us not fear to speak out for the temporary safety of silence. Thank you.