Mr. Speaker, I am standing in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. It is a beautiful building whose walls tell stories of time, place, and people. This building connects culture, shared history, potential for tomorrow, and, Mr. Speaker, it connects us to one another. I should feel great pride to be standing here today representing the people of Kam Lake, but today I am frustrated, sad, and somewhat embarrassed.
Mr. Speaker, passion is okay. Disagreeing is okay. Confrontation makes us uncomfortable, but confrontation can create change. We all made commitments to challenge the status quo, to challenge the bureaucracy, to challenge our own way of thinking, but a failure to do those things is not why we are here today. While challenging one another is our duty, Mr. Speaker, it is also our duty to do so with respect for one another, respect for public servants, and respect for the office we hold. My constituents have also expressed their frustration. They have expressed that now is not the time, and they have expressed that there has been a lack of transparency that we have all committed to. They have asked us to adequately explain how we have found ourselves at this impasse. I have encouraged my colleagues here to be open with us today but have no control over what others choose to share. What was shared with me was done so in confidence, and they are not my stories to share. One of the hallmarks of consensus government is the degree of confidential information that is shared between Cabinet and Regular Members. It is far above the degree of information that is shared between both sides in a party system, and many of my Cabinet colleagues have worked hard to engage and include Regular Members.
With the greater degree of disclosure and trust, comes a greater responsibility to respect confidentiality, especially when third parties are included. I understand the frustration of our constituents but hope that they understand that it is not my place to share information out of turn. As I stand here, Mr. Speaker, my Cabinet colleagues have expressed their inability to move forward with Minister Nokleby. I expect a Cabinet to be responsive to all stakeholders in a timely and accurate manner, and, while I have had a positive working relationship with Minister Nokleby, I have of course experienced some frustrating delays. I was on the understanding that this job comes with a lot of pressure, stress, and never enough time. Neither my moments of frustration nor any of the anecdotes that I heard from Regular Member colleagues would have singularly secured my support for this type of motion during a pandemic or during a Minister's first year.
Last week, I expressed that I was surprised by the announcement that Minister Nokleby's portfolios had been removed, and I was surprised. When we, the Regular Members, met with the Premier and Minister Nokleby in the spring to discuss expectations and a fresh start, I was very hopeful. Last week, I travelled to Hay River with standing committee, unaware of what was to come. On Wednesday, August 19th, MLA's received the press release in advance, one hour before its public release, and we met over the phone with the Premier before the press release went public. During this phone call, information was disclosed to us but not all the information we later received during this past Monday's Caucus meeting.
We all know that there are strong personalities in this room who operate with passion and the trust of their constituents on their shoulders and, as a Minister, the expectations of the entire territory. I stood and supported Minister Nokleby as she worked to settle into her portfolios as a first-time Minister, professional life in the midst of a pandemic, and substantial personal challenges. However, on Monday, as I sat and listened to Cabinet's detailed account, additional information emerged that challenged my stance and the value system that my constituents expect of me.
It became clear to me that Cabinet and Minister Nokleby are at a point that they cannot move forward from. If my constituents were given the information we were provided on Monday, I am confident that they would support my decision to support this motion. I am deeply disappointed that we are here, but the Minister's relationships have been broken. I know that this is the right thing to do. Sometimes in this job, you have to make very difficult decisions. This is a difficult one because I care about Minister Nokleby as a person and as a colleague, but I believe that this decision is the right decision.
At the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, we are in the middle of a pandemic, and our residents as well as our economy need our attention. We cannot afford to continue with a Cabinet Minister without portfolios. We committed to building an effective Cabinet, to achieving an extremely ambitious mandate, and, most importantly, we committed to the people of the Northwest Territories. If this motion passes, I will welcome Minister Nokleby to our side of the House. I look forward to moving beyond today's motion and to refocusing our attention on the lives of the Northerners that we serve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.