Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First off, I would like to deal with the section of the report which addresses the matter of the Fort Resolution office complex and a Cabinet meeting where a proposal for a negotiated lease related to that complex was discussed. Mr. Morin talked about this in his discussion. Document 246, is a letter which was submitted to the commission inquiry in spring of 1998. That letter is included in the report on page 35 and was signed by Mr. Todd, Mr. Arlooktoo, Mr. Ng and me.

Mr. Chairman, unlike Ministers Arlooktoo and Todd who spoke to their signing of the letter at the Conflict of Interest Inquiry, I was not called. I had hoped to follow Mr. Arlooktoo yesterday, when he spoke to the issue, but when he was ruled out of order I could not. I welcome this opportunity to speak to this issue in the House. Mr. Chairman, while some will see carelessness, a lack of attention to detail, I can understand why this letter might be a bigger issue in some people's minds.

I was interviewed by CBC last Thursday, the day after the Conflict Commissioner's Report was made public. That interview aired on NorthBeat last week. As I said during that interview, I would not sign the same letter today. I should have taken more time to check the details of the letter. I should have asked for revisions or clarifications in the letter before signing it. Mr. Chairman, when I first read the letter I was thinking about whether Mr. Morin had discussed the issue or influenced the decision at that meeting. Mr. Chairman, the letter was presented to me, as the Commissioner noted, as truthful and accurate.

Premier Morin was not in the Cabinet meeting when the Fort Resolution deal was discussed. That was my recollection at the time I signed the letter and it bears repeating. The Conflict of Interest Commissioner was satisfied that that was indeed the case. Now while the Premier was not present when the matter was discussed, and the Conflict Commissioner noted, "that is both important and a sign of good faith", she also concluded that not being present may not be enough. I understand this point and I take the lessons that go with it. Even if Mr. Morin told me that he would not be in the Cabinet meeting until after we dealt with Fort Resolution issue, that does not disclose the nature of the conflict, nor does it get into the official record. I do understand that both are required.

Mr. Chairman, I should have reviewed the minutes of the meeting personally to ensure that my memory was accurate before signing the letter. So, Mr. Chairman, yes, it was a mistake to sign the letter in which the details were not accurate. Putting myself in Mrs. Groenewegen's shoes, I can understand how she would see signs of a conspiracy. I apologize to Mrs. Groenewegen for not being more careful at the time and for signing a document that could give her that impression. I apologize to my constituents and to Members of this House, for not being more careful in checking the details before signing the letter.

Mr. Chairman, as I said earlier, I know there will be some who can accept that. Others will not and I will have to prove myself to them. I have spent over 20 years in the north in public service and business. During that time, I have built up a strong record of honesty and integrity. I know most people will keep that record in mind in considering this issue. Make no mistake, I believe the voters deserve and will continue to demand rightfully, that we, as elected leaders, must live up to the highest standards in disclosing and avoiding conflict of interest. So would I sign the same letter today? No. Did I lie or try to mislead the inquiry or the public? No. Am I perfect? No. Nor will I be perfect tomorrow or the next day. Those are honest answers, Mr. Chairman. I am human like all of us. I did not knowingly sign a false document. Mr. Chairman, the people who voted for me to represent them in this House know my record for honesty, fairness and hard work. Mr. Chairman, I take their trust seriously.

Mr. Chairman, I would now like to turn and look at the report in general. I must say that this has been a long and difficult process for all of us. I know the personal toll on those directly involved, Mr. Morin, Mrs. Groenewegen, and what it must have meant to their families. We can all learn some lessons from this inquiry and their suggestions for change to government policies and procedures that must be considered as a result of the report. Mr. Chairman, I accept that elected leaders and legislators must be prepared to be held to an even higher standard of accountability than most. We are entrusted with a great deal of authority and with that comes greater responsibility for our actions than is expected of other people. The consequences for elected leaders not being seen to live up to their trust requirements, must be appropriate according to their actions.

Mr. Chairman, I have had phone calls from constituents suggesting that the conflict inquiry has taken up a lot of our time and a lot of our money, and that we should move on as quickly as possible. Most have told me that they see Mr. Morin's resignation as Premier as punishment, punishment over and above the reprimands recommended by the Commissioner, even though she noted that his resignation would be concurrent with reprimands in most other jurisdictions. Mr. Chairman, as many have urged in this Assembly in the past week, we must focus on restoring confidence in the Assembly. In the rest of the 13th Assembly, we must focus on stability. The Assembly and this government must get on with the work that needs to be done in the next year. That is, get on with the final preparations for the creation of two new territories, set the stage for a renewed, less dependent fiscal relationship with the federal government, and, with claimant organizations, and the federal government, continue to work towards the settling of land claims and the conclusion of self-government negotiations. Mr. Chairman, a stable government is very important for the economy so banks and investors remain confident and willing to invest in northern business.

Mr. Chairman, as we consider this report I would urge Members to be mindful that we are exercising one of the most serious responsibilities that we have as Members. We have the authority to judge and to impose punishment with respect to this matter. In doing that, we must consider the best interests of the people we represent. We must consider the implications on the public, on our government and on the Member. Mr. Chairman, in considering this report it is important to remember, and I know there have been some who have suggested that we should really examine in some detail what has been recommended as punishment for the Member, but it is important to point out that the commissioner said that, had the Member used the opportunity of being Premier to put cash in his pocket, that she would have recommended that he lose his seat. The implication is that she does not believe that he has put cash in his pocket. Mr. Chairman, we should adopt or accept the report and move on with the important business of government.

One important step has already been taken with the establishment of a committee of senior Government of the Northwest Territories staff, to review and recommend changes to the procedures followed in the Government of the Northwest Territories to ensure conformance with conflict of interest legislation. Mr. Chairman, we must agree to act on the recommendations this group brings forward and move quickly to restore public confidence in this government. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.