Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was reading the news the other day, including the news release that the Premier had created a special envoy position in Ottawa, and we're hearing a lot of little hoopla about, well, doing things differently is bad. Well, and we're even hearing it from that side of the House. So I guess my question for the Premier particularly, is, is what mandate has he been given by this House or the people to establish a special envoy position, and where is the money coming from? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the Premier generally has a principal secretary, and so the mandate I was given was when I was elected as Premier to have that position.
Looking at the circumstances, I made the decision that that position would be transitioned into a senior envoy to the Government of Canada to help ensure that we have a voice in Ottawa and to help ensure that our Indigenous government partners also have a voice in Ottawa so we can support them. So the principal secretary is a political position in the Premier's office, and I made the decision to adjust that position. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, it has the appearance of being a political appointment as more of a reward rather than a discussion. Is there any reason the Premier changing significant motions by basically allocating public service resources to an Ottawa position -- why wouldn't he bring it to MLAs through the Caucus process to have a discussion and get a mandate from Caucus and the Assembly at large? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Decisions are made about positions across government without going to MLAs for every single decision. We are right now in budget discussions about the budget of the Northwest Territories, and so there's opportunities to discuss how funds are allocated, but this is a an operational decision I made based on the experience that I've had over the past just over a year and how things are functioning in our office and how -- what gaps we need to fill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, I don't mind the Premier being a Premier, but this is a significant departure from regular business, especially when Members on this side of the House are asking for action, but he does it unilaterally without any type of consultation. Has he spoken to Indigenous governments that he's appointed his principal secretary to be the Ottawa face of our politics, has he spoken to MLAs? Like, who has he spoken to outside of his own principal secretary and himself? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And of course I spoke with my Cabinet colleagues, and I've spoken with Indigenous leaders, and there is a lot of support, a lot of positive feedback about this decision. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
