Planned no-confidence motion looms over N.W.T. budget day

Thursday is budget day at the Northwest Territories legislature, but many MLAs' thoughts may be set on Friday, when backbenchers are poised tointroduce a no-confidence motionagainst Premier Floyd Roland and his cabinet.

It would markthe first time in N.W.T. government history that backbench MLAs, also known as regular members, have moved to fire the premier and cabinet.

On Wednesday afternoon, Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen announced shewill introduce the motion of no-confidence for debate and a vote Friday afternoon.

Groenewegen said she and her 10 fellow regular MLAs have lost confidence in Roland and his six-member cabinet, over controversial government decisions ranging from a move to change extended health benefits to the awarding of a $34-million loan to aviation company Discovery Air.

"We have pleaded, communicated, held face-to-face meetings, heart-to-heart talks, written letters," Groenewegen told CBC News outside the assembly Wednesday.

"We have tried to effect and bring change to make this a functioning government, a good relationship between the cabinet and the regular members. We have been continually disregarded, insulted."

Groenewegen said her motion was made on behalf of all regular MLAs, except Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins, who said he would vote against it.

"Everything is being thrown out, and I think that's crazy right now," Hawkins said.

Policy 'half-baked and disjointed': MLA

The announcement of the impending no-confidence vote comes as Finance Minister Michael Miltenbergerplans to handdown the 2009-10 territorial budget Thursday afternoon.

Miltenberger will present the budget at 1:30 p.m. MT in the legislature in Yellowknife. CBC Radio One in the N.W.T. will have livecoverage.

Unlike provincial governments to the south, MLAs in the N.W.T. legislative assembly choose their premier and cabinet members among themselves. MLAs who are not in cabinet, the regular MLAs, often form an unofficial opposition.

Under this style of government, known as a consensus government, MLAs in the assembly can also vote to oust people from cabinet.

In the past, members have voted out specific people from cabinet. However, Groenewegen's motion marks the first time regular members have tried to unseat the entire cabinet and the premier.

Groenewegen's motion to unseat Roland and the cabinet came after MLAs spent an hour Wednesday afternoon peppering Health Minister Sandy Lee with questions about the extended health benefits changes, which would exclude many N.W.T. seniors from coverage they currently have.

"I don't know how the minister and the government could go public with a policy as half-baked and disjointed as this policy is," Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay told the assembly.

"Members should just accept it when the minister says we screwed up, OK?" Lee told the assembly in response.