...continuing to raise a matter that he has referred to yesterday, mainly the legal opinion. It has not been tabled here. I do not think we can discuss it. Thank you.

Thank you. We have a point of order here. I am trying to ascertain what the point of order is. The Member is asking a question. He has referred to some documents which he has. Whether or not it is necessary for him to table that I do not think is the point. What is the point of order, Mr. Handley?

Mr. Speaker, the Member is referring to a document that is not before the House. That is the point of order. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. On your point of order, I will have to refer to Hansard to see exactly what was said, but what I understand is that the honourable Member did not refer to that document. He referred to an item in Hansard, which he did illustrate there. I will take the matter under advisement. I would caution the Members to observe the rules of the House about Parliamentary language and about items that are not available to other Members.

Mr. Miltenberger, you may continue with your questioning until I review Hansard and make a ruling on it. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once again, I refer to page 1415 of the unedited Hansard. I asked the Premier a simple question. He unequivocally stated: "There are no job descriptions for executive assistants. There never has been."

I have here nine pages of duties, responsibilities, pay ranges, related to executive assistants from the Ministerial Administrative Procedures Handbook. Can the Premier clarify for this House his statement? Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Member made a number of statements. For instance, he says he wants to speak to the issue of the most senior civil servant in the Government of the Northwest Territories. That, Mr. Speaker, is Liz Snider, secretary to Cabinet. It is not the chief of staff. That needs to be corrected because the Member is making the implication that the chief of staff is the most senior civil servant in the Government of the Northwest Territories.

The senior civil servants in the Government of the Northwest Territories are the deputy ministers, directors and superintendents, people who have power in legislation, who run departments, who deal with money and employees of a substantial number.

The chief of staff, as I have said, is an executive assistant with enhanced responsibilities. It is a political appointment. It is a political position that services the Premier's office. That is what it is.

The Member made the allegation that whatever it is that he says we have done undermines the most fundamental premise of a non-political civil servants, and I reject that. He refers to a legal opinion a number of times. He shared that with his colleagues, but he has not shown that to Members of this House. It is not a tabled document, but he continues to refer to it and to make the allegations, Mr. Speaker. This legal opinion questions whether or not Cabinet has contravened its own legislation. That is that Cabinet, by the Member's allegation, has done something illegal. I reject that.

I challenge the Member to produce some evidence other than his own personal opinion that it is in fact a legal opinion that exists. I would like to see it tabled. I think the people of the Northwest Territories would like to see it. It is a serious allegation and I challenge him to table it.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to hear the Premier refer repeatedly to a document that he just called a point of order on for not being before the House.

Mr. Speaker, I would like the Premier to answer a simple question. Is he that woefully uninformed about his own procedural handbook after 13 years on Cabinet that he is unaware that this document exists? And that he would state just the contrary in this House, on unedited Hansard, page 1415, which leads to the two concerns I raised in my initial question, both of which are valid? The Premier has not clarified it. If he will be patient, he will probably get a copy of that legal document in good time, the same way we get information from them, in good time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Honourable Members, I ask you to be clear with your questions. Mr. Miltenberger, I lost the question along the way and I am not sure whether the Premier would...I am going to ask you to repeat your question to clarify. What was the question you were asking the Premier?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Premier said in the unedited Hansard, page 1415: "There are no job descriptions for executive assistants. There never has been." It appears to the contrary that there is. I would ask the Premier to clarify his statement in relation to this issue in Hansard from yesterday.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Premier.

Mr. Speaker, the statement I made yesterday is that as far as I know, there is no job description for executive assistants. That is the statement I made. If a Member is making the allegation that I have deliberately misled the House, he is wrong. If I have said something that is not correct, then I can be corrected. That is not a problem, but that is not the issue here. The issue is yesterday, the Member made a very serious allegation to the Government of the Northwest Territories. I have said again the Member should table that document because I believe he is just twisting a legal opinion...

Excuse me, we have a point of order. Point of order, Mr. Miltenberger.

I speak to the issue that you made yourself very clear earlier on in terms of this particular issue. The Minister and the Premier answered the question and then proceeds as well to give another harangue about his point of view on an issue that he already called a point of order on and that you ruled on. I think it is making unjust and unfair use of this particular time. The clock is still running and other Members want to speak, as you say. I believe he is just using it as a soapbox and it is far beyond answering the question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. My judgment is there is no point of order. The Premier perhaps is extending the answer in lieu of the time, but the Premier is answering the question in his own way and is allowed to continue. I will allow his response to continue. If he is done, then we will move on to the next supplementary. Mr. Miltenberger, final supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, given the fact that there appears to exist terms of reference and duties for executive assistants, would the Premier be prepared to table in addition to that, the supplementary duties and pay raises and general responsibilities for the chief of staff that he says falls in this particular classification? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, people of the Northwest Territories should be reminded and should be aware that people who work for the Government of the Northwest Territories are allowed, within some parameters, to engage in political activity. Not everybody chooses to exercise those, but those rights are extended to employees of the government.

Senior civil servants, which includes deputy ministers, are prohibited from engaging in certain types of political activities. Executive assistants to elected Ministers, including the Premier's chief of staff, are excluded from that restricted employee category. That is very clear and it is categorical.

Mr. Speaker, I have said a number of times in this House, I have referred the information to standing committees of this House that the executive assistant to the Premier has been titled chief of staff and has been added, by political agreement among the Ministers, to have additional duties and responsibilities. I laid those out and I am going to table that this afternoon.

I again challenge the Member to table that legal opinion on which he based his very serious allegation that this Cabinet is breaking the law. I challenge him to back up his statement and show me clearly where that is done. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, trust is an important thing for the government to have in the eyes of the public. People must be able to trust their government to deliver on its promises. Trust is fragile and easily lost. Aboriginal governments are watching this government to make sure that we follow through.

Mr. Speaker, would the Premier agree that it is vitally important for the Government of the Northwest Territories to deliver what it promises?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Mr. Speaker, of course it does. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.