Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about performance of Cabinet Ministers and our expectations on this side of the House. A Cabinet Minister in our consensus government is someone selected from amongst us to oversee and lead in areas of our government's actions and responses to the needs of our constituents. Although traditionally we tend to elect people with experience to these leadership roles, there is more than experience to take into account. As a Regular Member, I expect our Premier and Cabinet Ministers to take the authority and leadership with which they have been entrusted very seriously and bring their very best efforts to that role and, for the most part, Mr. Speaker, I must say that I have been pleased with our choices.
Our four-year terms are relatively short. It's not much time to bring the aspirations and mark of this Assembly to bear on the matters which we were elected to govern. We can't afford to waste time. It takes more than a maintainer or manager approach to show the kind of leadership that we want to see. This is particularly important in areas which impact our people to the extent of Education, Culture and Employment and Justice.
In an earlier statement in March, I served notice of my concerns about Ministers who had been warming chairs on that side of the House in the past and are back. Sadly, Mr. Speaker, we are more than one year into our mandate and I still see Mr. Dent performing his duties in a hands-off, that's-not-my-role, that's-what-my-officials-tell-me way. Bottom line; I am not satisfied with Mr. Dent's performance as Minister of ECE and Justice and I honestly haven't talked to too many people who are.
It is no one's God-given right to sit on Cabinet. It was a privilege given to one from amongst us, at the pleasure of this House, based on that person being representative of the collective will and direction of Members as we endeavour to obtain positive outcomes on behalf of our constituents. So, to me, it's simple. People either perform to that standard or we find someone who will. There is no shortage of talent amongst the Yellowknife Members. I believe the handling of the North Slave Correctional
Centre concern should have been cause enough to send an alarm about competence and the confidence that we placed in Mr. Dent. The dialogue over the Justice cuts his department proposed for this year's budget has proven they are not readily defendable. The information is questionable. It's the Minister's job to answer to these decisions. The buck stops with him, not his officials, not his advisors and not the Finance Minister.
Mr. Speaker, I am not satisfied. I want to revisit Mr. Dent's participation in Cabinet. The work that we have on behalf of northerners in the area of Justice and Education are too important for that role to be occupied by someone just doing a job. I want passion, heart, creativity, accountability, responsiveness and, most of all, leadership. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.