Colleagues, before we begin today I'd like to provide some clarity on the events of yesterday. In speaking to the Member for Thebacha's motion yesterday, Mr. Norn made the following statement. I quote from the unedited Hansard:

“I will say that I will resign. I will prevent you from making this vote. I will save you that. I will do that and do you that honour. And I -- and that I could feel the will of the people in this room, and I will respect that.”

Section 10(1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act lays out the different ways that a Member may resign their seat in this House. One of them is to announce that decision from their seat in session. This has happened on a number of occasions in this past, most recently when the then-Member for Monfwi resigned from his seat earlier this year. The words he used at that time were as follows:

Mr. Speaker, today I am giving notice to this House, to the Tlicho people, the NWT as a whole, that I will be resigning my post as a MLA for Monfwi effective today, Friday, June 4th, 2021.

Similarly, when the then-Member for North Slave, Mr. Henry Zoe, resigned during the 15th Assembly, he stated:

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to announce my resignation as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for North Slave effective immediately.

Unfortunately, the words Mr. Norn used in speaking to the motion yesterday were ambiguous, and they lacked the clarity needed to give that resignation full effect. This is why I allowed debate on the motion to continue and ultimately put the question to the House.

I should also say that even if Mr. Norn's decision to resign had been stated clearly and unambiguously in the House, the motion would still have been required and taken effect.

Rule 60 states "A Member who has made a motion may withdraw it with the consent of the seconder provided debate has not begun."

As you know, debate on the motion was well underway by the time Mr. Norn made his statement. Furthermore, section 10(4) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act goes on to state that "The resignation of a Member under this section does not affect the conduct of any proceedings that are pending or that may be taken (b) in respect of any complaint brought against the Member under section 100(2)."

The initial complaint to the Integrity Commissioner against Mr. Norn was made under section 100(2). Therefore, even had Mr. Norn clearly stated his decision to resign from his seat in the House yesterday, that resignation would not have ended the requirement of the House to consider the sole adjudicator's disposition on the report and either order or reject the recommended punishment.

To conclude, Mr. Norn did not resign his seat in the Legislative Assembly yesterday. The Legislative Assembly ordered the seat declared vacant in accordance with the recommendation of the sole adjudicator by the motion the Member for Thebacha introduced following my ruling on her point of privilege.

Thank you, Members. Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.