'I don't think it was a witch hunt': Justice minister still supports midterm reviews

N.W.T. Justice Minister Louis Sebert still supports midterm reviews, despite nearly being ousted from his role in cabinetthis week following a non-confidence vote.

On Wednesday, seven members voted to remove Sebert from cabinet; 11 voted against the motion. The vote followed a secret confidence vote on each member of cabinet, where Sebert was the lone minister to lose confidence from regular MLAs.

"I don't think it was a witch hunt," he told CBC on Friday.

• Justice Minister Louis Sebert survives vote to oust him from N.W.T. cabinet

• N.W.T. Minister of Justice Louis Sebert loses confidence vote after midterm review

"There was some dissatisfaction from regular members about many cabinet ministers on many issues and there clearly was some dissatisfaction with my performance, which I accept."

Louis Sebert defends record as N.W.T. cabinet minister before vote to oust him from cabinet.

7 years ago

Duration 8:06

N.W.T. Justice Minister Louis Sebert narrowly survived a vote to remove him from cabinet on Oct. 18, after losing a confidence vote during the legislative assembly's midterm review. Here, Sebert speaks to MLAs immediately before the vote.

Sebert says one issue that has plagued him is the slowness with which government moves.

"I think that caused some frustration with the regular members," he said.

"I have been listening to them. I always have. But we perhaps haven't moved ahead as quickly on some of the reforms and changes that are needed."

Cabinet ministers had told the Legislative Assembly they would not resign as a result of the non-binding secret confidence vote.

"I am the minister of transparency and I thought that if regular members wished to remove a minister it should be done in an open and transparent manner," Sebert said.

"There's some personal motivation also, of course. I wanted to hang on."

Not upset with process or MLAs

Sebertstill supports the midterm review and re-examining their mandates from time to time.

"I think it's a good idea. Certainly I think we need to have a reset after a couple of years. We do have a mandate, which in retrospect was probably overambitious and has too many items in it."

Sebert, who holds hefty files, including Justice, Lands, the N.W.T. Power Corporation, and Public Engagement and Transparency, says a cabinet shuffle would be up to Premier Bob McLeod and he would have to accept his decision.

"I'm quite prepared to work with the regular members," he said.

He believes his relationship with the seven members who voted to removehim from cabinet is "good."

"It hasn't really changed. I was not particularly upset by this whole process. I accepted it. I mean, I'm a member of the government. There are concerns, which I heard," he said.

"My relationship with them is no worse than it was."

Sebert said he had doubts about consensus government when he was elected, but in the last two years he's been convinced that it "can work and should work."

"I don't think it's been damaged by this experience. My view of consensus government is still good."