Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was about to quote the Premier's reply to Ms. Lee's question about day care on October 18, 2005, "Mr. Speaker, we want to be careful with what we do, that we are not providing an unfair advantage or amount of money for one day care that we are not giving to others."
Mr. Speaker, the position of this government is one that we must be fair and equitable to all people and all organizations in the Northwest Territories. That's our government policy. Yet, Ms. Lee has singled me out for criticism, and being incompetent for taking that approach in this issue.
Mr. Speaker, on another issue just today, the Workers' Compensation Boards across the country have been set
up similarly to follow the Meredith principles. These are a non-profit, generally, no-fault insurance companies responsible to their stakeholders, employees and workers. They have all been set up so as to eliminate political interference. That means the government can't get its hands on the accident fund or direct investments of the board. That's been found to be a good process across the country.
Mr. Speaker, here in the Northwest Territories, we have similar legislation. The Minister's powers are limited. The Minister is responsible for administering the act; the Governance Council for operations. Ms. Lee, today, criticized me for not interfering in the operation of the board. Mr. Speaker, in most jurisdictions, interference of the sort that Ms. Lee proposed would cost the Minister their position. I can just see the headlines now: "The Minister interferes to force WCB to favour one landowner over another." Of course, Mr. Speaker, there may be some who hope I make that kind of mistake and lose my position on Cabinet.
Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the hard work of Education, Culture and Employment departmental staff. Their dedication to the delivery of education and training services is remarkable, and I appreciate their daily efforts. There are a number of significant initiatives this government has undertaken, and Education, Culture and Employment staff have participated not only in a cooperative way, but often taking on a leadership role. I am proud of efforts made by staff to be respectful of their clients, to hear the concerns of communities and parents to respond to needed changes to our support programs, and to be innovative and creative. Both at headquarters and in many of our communities, ECE staff should be commended for their efforts. I would also like to thank my ministerial staff for supporting me, trying to keep me organized, and rarely telling me what I want to hear, but often telling me what they think I need to hear.
Mr. Speaker, when a Minister is called incompetent, as I have been, there is an opportunity for that Minister to refute that accusation by words and actions. I have always been a fan of actions speaking louder than words, although I have been accused by many in this House of using too many words.
When the accusation of incompetence is repeated over and over again, it starts to become more challenging for staff who are working for the Minister, and are, perhaps, unable to understand the subtleties of political life. Mr. Speaker, I am not afraid to stand up and take the heat for decisions I have made. I also believe I have treated Members fairly and respectfully, even when we've disagreed. I am not afraid to admit when I have made a mistake, and I am not afraid to say that we need to continue to make changes to our programs.
There are some, though, who say, when we have a disagreement, that I become robotic or too polite. It isn't in my nature to get emotional when I disagree with somebody. I want to be careful to make sure that I am hearing what they have to say, that I can hear the arguments, and that I can respond rationally, because I don't think that getting caught up in an emotional argument is the best way to pursue things. Too often, when that happens, when somebody is accused of making a mistake, they dig their heels in and they are afraid to admit a mistake has been made, and you wind up just fighting over that. I don't want to get into that position, Mr. Speaker.
I think we all have to be here to make sure we are representing our constituents across the Northwest Territories, and try to make this a better place for all. Mr. Speaker, I have often made this offer to the MLAs, and I will reiterate it here: my door is always open. I welcome your comments. I welcome you criticism. I welcome your suggestions for change to programs. I am prepared to work with you. I won't always agree with you, and we may not always be able to come to an agreement on how the program should change, but I will listen to you, and I promise to respond. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause