Jason Unrau
Northern News Services
Monday, February 26, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - House Speaker Paul Delorey admonished his MLA colleagues last Thursday for breaches in etiquette and protocol during the current sitting.

Some members' lengthy preambles during question period was the first item Delorey addressed.

"I want to draw members' attention to the fact that we only had time in this house yesterday for 10 oral questions," he said. "The reason for this is that the preambles to both your main and supplementary questions were excessively long, as were the answers being provided."

Delorey urged members to limit their preambles to, "one short, carefully crafted sentence," with no preamble to supplementary questions.

Appearing somewhat perturbed, the Speaker noted the situation has become an issue in spite of members' recent agreement to reduce the number of supplementary questions from three to two. Perhaps the biggest transgressor of this house etiquette is Tu Nedhe MLA Bobby Villenueve, whose preambles, while often entertaining, are frequently interrupted by Delorey, who rhetorically queries Villenueve as to whether or not he actually has a question.

One member, speaking on condition of anonymity applauded Delorey, confiding they have timed other members' preambles; some coming in at, "beyond 10 minutes."

Then prior to committee of the whole, Delorey reminded members that they are forbidden to identify persons, "who are unable to defend themselves in this house."

In Wednesday's committee of the whole session, Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya, when speaking on health care issues in his region, discussed the living accommodations of a mental health care worker.

"It is both a rule of this assembly and a common courtesy not to make specific reference to persons who are not members of this house and who do not enjoy parliamentary immunity," Delorey reminded.

"This includes references to members of the public specifically by name or in such a way that there can be no mistake as to the identity of the individual involved."