Thank you, Mr. Handley. Very well expressed, I'm sure, to a number of Members from this House.
Speaker's RulingMembers, before I proceed to the next item on the Order Paper, I would like to provide a ruling concerning the tabling of unsigned documents in this House.
The House will recall that on Friday, February 9, 2007, the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre tabled an unsigned, unidentified copy of an e-mail correspondence.
The question of unsigned tabled documents is not addressed in the rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. However, I refer Members to the 12th Assembly of this Legislature and to a ruling made by Speaker Samuel Gargan on March 27, 1995.
Mr. Gargan undertook a meticulous examination of unsigned tabled documents reviewing rules, precedents and authorities. I quote from his ruling found on page 612 of Hansard, March 27, 1995, which states:
After reviewing parliamentary precedent and rulings from other jurisdictions, I have become clearly aware of the requirements and limitations as to the content for petitions and tabled documents, including the concern as the verification and authenticity of letters and any facts contained therein. It is my ruling that it is not an acceptable practice to table unsigned letters in this House. Therefore, all letters tabled, whether it be by the government or by Ordinary Members, will have to be forthwith directed from a specific individual or organization, dated and signed.
Speaker Gargan also quoted from Beauchesne's, 6th Edition, citation 493, subsection (4), cautioning Members to "exercise great care in making statements about persons who are outside of the House and unable to reply."
Speaker Gargan once again ruled on the tabling of unsigned documents on January 28, 1998, during the sitting of the 13th Assembly, and found his former ruling to be "clear and concise with respect to the issue."
I agree with Speaker Gargan on both of these counts and it is, therefore, my ruling that the document tabled in this House on Friday, February 9th, 2007, does not meet the requirements as set out for a tabled document. The document is considered not to be in the acceptable format and should not have been tabled in this House. I direct the Clerk to remove the item from the tabled document list and to amend Hansard to reflect this change. Thank you, Members.
Orders of the day. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.