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Consensus or confrontation?

Labour Views
with Heidi-Ann Wild
Guest columnist
Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Previous labour columns 

The government of the NWT is based on a consensus style of governing.

The theory is built upon all the MLAs, including the premier and cabinet, working together. That is the theory.

The reality is this: the 16th assembly of the legislature is something quite different. The premier and his cabinet drafted and tabled a budget without input from the regular MLAs.

The budget as tabled includes million of dollars worth of cuts and is proposing to lay off in excess of 100 workers.

During a series of meetings the union had with regular MLAs, it became clear to us that we knew more about what was going on behind the scenes than they did. As it turned out, we were able to supply the MLAs with information they had not been able to obtain for themselves from government officials.

It was clear from our meetings that the premier, along with his cabinet, top-level bureaucrats and hired consultants, constructed this document behind closed doors. They then closed ranks, to the exclusion of the regular MLAs, by refusing to include them in any meaningful dialogue.

It was also clear that the premier was acting, with the consent of cabinet, on his own agenda. One MLA pointed out to us that, based on the information they were getting, the budget ran contrary to the 16th assembly's four-year strategic plan.

"Why did we waste time making a strategic plan when the premier had no intention of following it?" quipped one MLA.

In a consensus style government, all the MLAs, regardless of whether they hold cabinet posts or not, are supposed to be able to give input, be included in discussions, have access to all of the pertinent information and put their stamp on decisions coming forward from the legislative assembly. That is not happening and as the budget debate on the floor of the house intensifies it is clear the premier and his cabinet are acting more like the political party in charge, forcing the regulars MLA to act as the official opposition. Has this premier turned his back on consensus government? Does he no longer believe in the territorial legislative process?

The question becomes: where do citizens turn when the premier begins to act in an autocratic way? Where do we turn to when the cabinet and the premier refuse to include regular MLAs in discussion? Recently one of the regular MLAs has been voicing frustration with the premier's handling of due process and legislative procedure. How do we hold and to whom do we hold the premier accountable when he leads the parliamentary process away from the principles of consensus?

One answer is to mobilize our membership and the citizens of the NWT. By doing this we offer an effective voice of opposition. This is what we have done with our No Cuts campaign. There are many ways for the government to save money and many ways to constructively reduce the workforce without affecting people's careers and causing hardship to their families and communities. The only way we have been able to get this message across is by mounting an effective opposition to a premier and cabinet who have lost the vision surrounding the spirit of consensus government.

- Heidi-Ann Wild is a member of the Public Service Alliance of Canada's (PSAC) Regional Women's Committee in Yellowknife