Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Do we have a seconder for the motion? The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes, seconds the motion. We have a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. All those in favour? Thank you. All those opposed? Thank you. The motion is carried. Thank you, Members. Item 22, third reading of bills.

Before I call for orders of the day, I have a ruling on a point of order raised earlier today, Tuesday, February 26th, by the honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Speaker's Ruling

I would like to provide my ruling on the point of order that was raised by the Member for Thebacha earlier today. Mr. Miltenberger, in raising the point of order, felt that false or hidden motives were being imputed to him in remarks made by the Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko, during his Members Statement. The words in question are:

Yet, Mr. Speaker, through the new Minister of Health and Social Services, he seems to be taking this thing full speed ahead and no consultation whatsoever with our Metis locals and Metis organizations. Now there is talk that the Minister may be out taking advantage of his new portfolio and being the Member for Thebacha and who basically wants to -- and who, through his electorate who put him in office to deliver on some of those commitments, knowing this has a detrimental threat to the Metis Nations up and down the valley. These comments are contained in unedited Hansard from earlier this afternoon.

Members are required under the rules to conduct themselves within those rules. These rules prohibit making statements which impute false or hidden motives to another Member.

Rule 23 states:

In debate a Member will be called to order by the Speaker if the Member:

(h) makes allegations against another Member, a House officer or a witness;

(i) imputes false or hidden motives to another Member.

In my review of the unedited Hansard, the implication was clear in the words of the Member for Mackenzie Delta. These implications include:

- That the Member for Thebacha was using his ministerial portfolio to "deliver" on previous election commitments. The thrust of this statement is that the Member for Thebacha is taking advantage of his newly acquired status as a Minister to fulfil commitments made as a Member and to thereby advance his own interests through the use of his ministerial portfolio.

- That the Member is deliberately taking steps knowing that such steps would or will have a detrimental effect on some identified constituents - namely the "Metis Nations up and down the valley".Such imputations of motives are, in my view, unparliamentary and contravene the rules of this Assembly. So my ruling is that the Member for Thebacha does have a point of order and I am offering the Member for Mackenzie Delta the opportunity to retract and apologize for these statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the statement referring to the Minister and his election commitments, knowing that it made...

Short and simple, you will retract that statement and apologize. That is all you have to do, no explanation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my statement and apologize.

-- Applause

Thank you. The honourable Member has retracted those statements and has apologized to the honourable Member for Thebacha. Item 23, orders of the day. Mr. Clerk.