Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we heard several speeches yesterday about this budget. Even though there were some notable contrasts amongst the speeches, there were also some common themes that I agree with, that the North faces both great challenge and great opportunity at this moment in history and that we must take more decisive action quickly and build momentum by strengthening our economic and social foundations. However, I also heard a theory that I vehemently disagree with, the theory that the main thing holding us back as a territory is the, quote, tail wagging the dog, that our Cabinet Members are being led blindly by a powerful group of bureaucrats behind the scenes who are actively resisting any real change. These, and I quote, well-connected insiders who live fat off government procurement instead of innovating their own businesses.
Now, I understand that many people looking from the outside, who are not part of government decision-making, perceive that the tail is wagging the dog. They're frustrated that they so rarely see any dramatic change in direction. They're frustrated that things seem so slow. So tail wags the dog is the best explanation that they can come up with.
What I find puzzling is when people who are not on the outside looking in still reach for the same simplistic and false explanation, people who are decision makers, people who are leaders with access to extraordinary amounts of information and an extraordinary level of input into the decisions and overall direction of this government. I am not just puzzled but alarmed when these leaders scapegoat public servants and paint them all with the same brush.