Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also am kind of really heartbroken in what I'm hearing today, in honesty.
This Cabinet has been different. It's tried different. And those that were in the Assembly in the last Assembly know that, know that we've been working differently. And they know -- I think that Members that were here, ,and current Members as well, many of them, know that my heart is in the right place, and I am the Premier and I represent our Cabinet.
I've been asked -- I'm a Yellowknife MLA, Mr. Speaker. If I was only concerned about Yellowknife and my own riding and my own get re-elections, then I would be voting everything to stay in the capital city. But I have not done that. I haven't done that in this Assembly, and I haven't done that in the last Assembly.
I've been asked in this House to put single service windows -- single window service centres in Yellowknife because we have them in small communities, and I've said no, against my own riding.
I've been asked when I was the housing minister why don't we put more services in Yellowknife. I put shelters outside of Yellowknife in the small communities, three shelters outside of Yellowknife, because I recognize the needs of the small communities that were needed.
When I was the MACA minister, Mr. Speaker you know that, when I was asked would I take back the money of the small communities that were overfunded, I said no, I wouldn't. I would let them stand because they were still -- even though they were overfunded, they still need more support.
When I was the education minister, I was asked -- I was expected, I'm a Yellowknife MLA, I could have said the headquarters shall be in the capital. We have the population. I said no, the headquarters are safe where it is.
I think I've shown over my term in the last six years that I do care about small communities. And I've seen with all of these Cabinet ministers that they also care about small communities. At no time have I heard at the Cabinet table that this shall be in Yellowknife because Yellowknife deserves it. In fact, I've heard the opposite. I've heard Yellowknife Members in Cabinet stick up for small communities and say that we need to support the small communities. So I know that whatever we say won't make a difference. I know that people make up their minds before; that's just how things go. But I do say that I do take offence, Mr. Speaker, on the implication that this Cabinet cares about the capital city more than small communities, because in my opinion from a personal standpoint and from all of the Members in this Cabinet, I have seen and experienced the opposite. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's all I will say.