Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to rise today to let my constituents know, and the people of the Northwest Territories know, that in the months that are remaining this Assembly that I will bring their issues to the table through this forum in the House using every Member's statement that's available, as well as questions to Ministers. I will be rising in support of the many initiatives as the need arises and the occasion permits to speak to the many issues and initiatives that I believe are good ones that are underway by the government, but I'm also going to raise some issues that have to be resolved that we have to look at more closely. I'm going to be very critical of the Conservative government in this House in what they have not done for the North, or what they have done, and I'll be raising those issues.
Today I would like, as well, just to reflect briefly on the process that transpired here late last week. Mr. Speaker, the practice as we know it through years of trial, the convention, the tradition has been when there are issues that involve concerns with Ministers of significance that we go into Caucus. That was done back in the conflict days of the '90s; it was done more recently when there were criminal charges and such against another Member, as recently with the Premier. I want to make the point in this House, as I have to the press, that what has transpired did not allow me due process, that we circumvented or ignored our own procedures; procedures that are absolutely critical in my mind for the functioning of a consensus government. The only thing I believe that allows us to function as a consensus government is the fact that we have the ability to come together as 19 Members to talk about issues, and I can remember meeting many times on these type of matters before any decisions were taken. That was not the case and that is unfair and unfortunate, but it has been done, so now we move on.
But there are some lessons, in my mind, that we want to take a close look at because I understand we are not finished with some of the issues as regards to Cabinet. I want to say to this House that...