Colleagues, before we proceed to today’s business, I wish to give my ruling on the point of order raised by Mr. Miltenberger on October 28, 2013, with respect to comments made by Mr. Hawkins on his Facebook page after my ruling on October 27th .
Mr. Miltenberger’s point was that Mr. Hawkins’ comments called into question his apology to the House on October 27th and, therefore, violated
rules 23(k) and 23(l). Mr. Miltenberger likened the Facebook comments to a note passed in the House.
Rule 23 applies to debate in the House, not to matters that take place outside. As your Speaker, I have no way of knowing whether posts to Facebook or Twitter or other social media are made within the Chamber or not. The Member could easily have posted the comments from his office or somewhere else in the building.
Mr. Hawkins did apologize in the House for his comments on October 23rd , and withdrew his
remarks. I accept the Member on his word and consider that matter settled.
I, therefore, find there is no point of order.
However, I do need to strongly caution Members that statements made outside the House, whether on Facebook or in other media, can amount to a breach of privilege or even contempt of the House.
This is especially so when a Member’s comments could be read as challenging a ruling of the Speaker. It’s thin ice and I urge Members to stay off of it.
This is not to protect me personally. It is to keep dignity and order in the House, so that we can get our work done.
That leads me to my next point. I want to draw your attention to the amount of time we have spent in this sitting on points of order and privilege. We come from around the NWT and meet here only a few times a year. That time is precious and we need to make the best use of it.
This House is not a theatre meant to entertain the public. That’s not our culture here. It’s a place where we do important work for the people of the Northwest Territories.
Every day I hear Regular Members asking tough questions and doing their job without going against the rules of debate.
Every day I hear Ministers responding to those tough questions and doing their job without raising a point of order when something is said that could offend them.
So it can be done. If all Members make a sincere effort to uphold the dignity of the House and to thicken their skins, I am sure you will be able to deal with all of the difficult issues before you without any unnecessary drama. We can do this on behalf of our people. Let’s get on with it.
Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.