N.W.T. legislators head back Tuesday as cabinet faces midterm review

A midterm review of the performance ofN.W.T. cabinet ministersover the first two years of their term begins Tuesday.

It will be the first midterm review since the 12th assembly, with cabinet ministersdefending their performance to regular MLAs over 10 days of questioning.

Then a secret-ballot vote by all MLAswill be held to determine whether individual ministers and cabinet as a wholehave the confidence of the legislature.

Though a no-confidence vote doesn't necessarily mean the minister would be removed, ministers who lose the confidence of the legislature could be expected to resign.

This summer, cabinet and a committee of regular MLAs released different reports grading cabinet's progress.

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According to cabinet's report, the governmentachieved40 of its 200 goals set out in the mandate, with progress on 153 others and the remaining seven in the planning stage.

But regular MLAs, assembled as the priorities and planning committee, judged progress on each task with grades of Good, Satisfactory, Poor and Fail.

The committee rated cabinet's performance as "Poor" on 49 tasks and gave it a "Fail" grade on three.

Legislative 'halftime'

Yellowknife MLAKieron Testart, who represents the riding of Kam Lake, describedthe midterm review as "halftime" for the 18thlegislative assembly, two years into itsfour-year term.

Testart said three cabinet ministers are on the hot seat: Justice Minister Louis Sebert, who is also minister for public engagement and transparency; Healthand Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy;and Minister of Education, Culture and EmploymentAlfred Moses.

"Mental health continues to be on the minds of many Northernersthe 'A New Day Program' and how it rolled out,it was controversial and the changes to Aurora College and the roll out of junior kindergarten, those are issues we can all see," Testart said.

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CBC News contacted a spokesperson for the cabinetto arrange an interview with a cabinet minister, but no one was made available by Monday evening.

The review continues until early October when the confidence votes for cabinet as a whole and individual ministers takes place.

The legislature will then break for a week for the Thanksgiving holiday, before reconvening to finish the sitting.