Thank you. The Honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recognize as well that he purports to be a Liberal and is going to speak on November 4th at a fundraiser down in a southern jurisdiction. I am sure our MP will be gratified by that as well.

Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister. I am prepared to share my legal opinion if the Cabinet is prepared to share a list of the duties of the chief of staff, which to date they have refused to provide us, saying that it is confidential. It is very difficult to assess these duties on that basis. So I am prepared if the Premier will give us a list of the duties, I will be happy to give him a copy of this legal opinion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. He can share whatever he would like with us. We would appreciate it. We are not going to be trading information back and forth.

I could tell you that in March, the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development asked for further information on the new and redesigned positions in the Ministers' offices. I had indicated to them at the time, under a letter dated March 27th, that the former position of the Premier's executive assistant had been revised and assigned additional duties. The revised position is titled "Chief of Staff" and is responsible for:

1. Providing overall operational and administrative services to Members of the Executive Council and their staff;
2. To provide executive assistance services to the Premier in his daily tasks and for his Intergovernmental Affairs portfolio; and
3. For managing and overseeing the operations of the Premier's office.

There is no job description for executive assistants. There never has been. So this is in addition to her job of providing support to me as an executive assistant.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue is going to come down to what constitutes an executive assistant. Executive assistants, for example, make in the pay range of up to $50,000 to $70,000, maybe $80,000. The chief of staff, I would venture to say probably makes well over $100,000-plus.

My question to the Premier is the chief of staff herself said she has been given...her contract provides her with exemption from the political restrictions that apply to deputy ministers. That does not say executive assistants. It says very clearly deputy ministers. Could the Premier explain that issue, please?

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Deputy ministers and senior civil servants of this government are restricted in the type of activity they may engage in that is of a political nature. Executive assistants are exempt from those restrictions and the chief of staff position is considered an executive assistant position with some additional duties assigned to her, and therefore is exempt from those restrictions that are applied to deputy ministers and other civil servants. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Final supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to acknowledge the fact that the chief of staff did take a leave of absence. Though Cabinet had to be pushed into it, they did do the right thing. So I am not clear, Mr. Speaker. She has a deputy minister employment contract, yet she is being called an executive assistant. I think it is semantics, Mr. Speaker, and I would like the Premier to clarify that. It is clear that no Premier or Cabinet Minister can have an employment contract that purports to displace the law. Very clearly, it says here that she is covered under Section 34 of the Public Service Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of my staff are wondering how a legal opinion can be valid when the provider of that opinion had no access to the contract in the first place. Having said that, the position is clear. It is considered an enhanced executive assistant position and enjoys certain rights as an employee of the government. The Member can negate whatever Cabinet decided to do.

As the Premier -- and every Minister of this government feels the same way -- that if we are challenged to protect and defend the rights of the employees of this government, we will. There is no trying to soft peddle that. It has been my view that every employee has the right to be defended by the Ministers and the Premier of this government. I will do that. I was prepared to do that. The chief of staff asked last week for leave and I agreed to it, so now she is on leave.

It is not because we feared the wrath and political pressure of this Member, but because the staff member in question asked for the leave and I conceded to that. It is not because of political pressure. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this afternoon is for the Minister responsible for Health regarding recent moves to amalgamate surgical and paediatric wards at the Station Regional Hospital. Mr. Speaker, these moves have shaken the confidence of staff and the public in the quality of care given at the hospital. The concerns we have heard centre on the ability of the board and senior management to effectively involve front line nurses and doctors in decisions that affect their ability to deliver good care.

Mr. Speaker, my question is what assurances can the Minister give that health care at Stanton Regional Hospital will not be compromised? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for Health, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Braden raises a valid point and certainly it is the view of the department that there is nothing that would preclude the board and the management from discussing with front line workers and key players in the delivery of the health services at Stanton what some of the options for dealing with the fiscal challenges might be. As well, consulting with whoever it may be necessary to consult with, not excluding necessarily the public, the MLAs, and the staff at the hospital itself.

If this was the understanding of the board or the management, I do apologize for that. Certainly we do see that consultation process is very necessary in these challenging times.

Thank you, Madam Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the answer. I wonder if the Minister can give us more information on specifically what steps could be in place for the public to have more direct input into these kinds of decisions at Station Regional Hospital. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for Health, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the current time, a component of Stanton board meetings is open to the public, so there is that opportunity for the public to attend and raise issues. Also, we know from experience that certainly MLAs do meet with the health boards in their regions and that is another avenue for input. The public could input to the MLAs. The MLAs could input to the board and management of Stanton. Certainly there are a number of means by which the public can communicate with the board and the management of the hospital.

Thank you, Madam Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, this particular plan -- which has now been reversed and I am happy to hear about that -- is part of an overall deficit situation that Stanton Regional Hospital is in. I am wondering if the Minister could advise the Assembly of the status of Stanton Regional Hospital's deficit reduction plan and how does it meet with approval from, or work with, the department? Thank you.