Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Lona Hegeman and Pat Thomas. Welcome to the gallery.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Mahsi, Mr. Nitah. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as in my Member's statement I raise the question of accountability, it is not the first time I have stood up to speak on that issue, Mr. Speaker, or ask questions on that subject. Mr. Speaker, in this particular case, a situation was brought forward to Members about a contract that might have been let out and authorized by this Premier and Cabinet.

Mr. Speaker, the way I approach things is I look at the issues and I wait to get the other side of the story. We had decided as members of AOC to send a letter to the Premier for response. That response has been made public. My question to the Premier is, will he make available to Regular Members the pertinent information in that contract to prove to all Members of this Assembly and the Northwest Territories that in fact that contract was authorized and legal and that it falls within the Public Service Act? Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, on Friday I went to the AOC Committee to account for myself. It is called the Accountability and Oversight Committee. Some of the Members were there, others perhaps were not there. I do not recall that there was perfect attendance. However, we made it very clear at the time that everything Cabinet does is advised by our staff, whether we are consistent with the laws, policies and past practices of government.

With this particular issue, we have been telling the Members we have been consistent with the advice we have received from our officials, that there was nothing that we have done that is inconsistent with our legislation and with our laws. What we did not point out on Friday is, in fact, previous governments, previous cabinets, previous premiers have agreed to give leave to the present chief of staff to be involved in previous federal elections because there was a suggestion that only this Cabinet, only this Premier, was willing to do such a thing. In fact, leave was granted and the individual that you are speaking about was allowed to do this on at least two separate occasions over the last 12 years.

We said on Friday that the contract does not spell out the duties and responsibilities that are contrary to the Member of Thebacha's allegations or suggestions. There are no terms of reference in existence for executive assistants. We have been categorical in suggesting that this position, entitled chief of staff, has been from the beginning deemed by Cabinet with full knowledge and support of our civil service and our advisors, that being of an executive assistant to the Premier.

Both the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development were advised of that. There was no difficulty when the Member was present when we were talking about it in March. We also discussed that here, in the committee of the whole, when we were doing the budget in March. So for the Member to get up and make vague suggestions that somehow we are not being accountable without being specific, I do not believe this is the way to get at accountability. Be specific and be clear. We have done that, as a Cabinet, since we got into office.

The question was put to me last year, what are the new and revised positions you have in the Department of the Executive. I laid those out on two separate occasions, one to a standing committee and one to the committee of the whole, and these were approved. The budget figures were discussed and approved. That is being accountable, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. I just want to take this opportunity to remind the Members that oral questions, under Rule 38, should be clear and concisely put and refer only to a matter which is reasonably to be assumed to be within the present knowledge of the Minister and that the responses should be as clear and concise as possible. While I realize that some questions may require lengthy answers, we only have 60 minutes for question period, so if Members could take that under advisement and govern themselves accordingly. Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The answer I received did not address the question I asked. Will he make the information available to Members so we can look at it, not have legal interpretations floating around here?

For a specific reason, Mr. Speaker, I did not speak to the specific employee of this government for the simple fact of trying not to address that. It is the contract. It has been a side issue that the contract was done up that might be outside the Public Service Act. That cloud has been allowed to hang over this Assembly for over a week now, a couple of weeks, and we waited for a response. He has not responded with an answer. Will he make that available so we can clear the air once and for all? Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, again, on Friday, we said that we are not in the business of handing out contracts that we have with the employees of this government. They are considered confidential. In any case, had he been listening on Friday, it would be clear that the most sullied civil servant in our government, Liz Snider, said specifically, the contract does not spell out the duties and responsibilities of the employee in this case. The contract says that it is an executive assistant position. That position, because it is tied to the Premier's office, is re-titled Chief of Staff.

The Member is not listening so we might have to repeat this again. However, it is important to get clear that the contract that the Member wants to see has been conveyed to the Committee by the deputy minister to the Executive, the secretary to the Cabinet, Liz Snider, on Friday. The contract refers to that position as an executive assistant position.

If the Member would like, apparently, the employee that is being sullied here by these Members that say a cloud hangs over everybody, which I reject. I think it hangs over two or three Members. If they do not take my word for it, they do not believe I am representing Cabinet properly in this case, I deplore this implication. They can go as doubting Thomases, call up the legal counsel for the employee and ask to see the contract. I am sure they will be allowed to do that.

It is not my place and not my capacity to share the contract with these Members. In any case, it does not spell out the roles and responsibilities of the employee in question. It says categorically that it is an executive assistant position. That is what it says and it has been re-titled chief of staff. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the cloud that hangs over us is, in fact, not the position. I am not interested in that part. It is the contract that was signed, and I believe signed by the Premier.

Mr. Speaker, he says that information is not available because it is privy to the Executive Council. I am aware, through the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, that that type of information is available. Again, are we establishing two different standards, one for the public and one for Cabinet?

Mr. Speaker, my question again, will he make that information available to Members so we can deal with it once and for all? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me say again, Cabinet is advised by staff, by the Department of Justice, by the secretary to Cabinet of all discussions, all decisions and undertakings that we engage in to make sure that we are consistent with the laws and the policies in past practices of government.

In this case, we were advised right from the beginning in January when we started organizing our offices and our staff. We have revisited this issue recently to ensure that the advice and the legal advice has been consistent, and it has. I have mentioned that Cabinet was through this discussion. The decision we made was very clear.

The contract itself, as I have said to the Member, is not for me to circulate to Members; but we have spoken to what the contract does and does not do. The main thing is that the Members on the other side want to look at is the duties and responsibilities of this particular position. The contract does not speak to that at all. Mr. Speaker, again, it is not for me to be sharing with Members of this Legislature, contracts that we have with employees of this government. They are considered confidential and private.

However, I understand that if the Member who is asking me these questions and anybody else on the other side of the House want to have a look at that contract, they can call the lawyer representing that particular employee and I am sure they will allow them to review that contract. That is what I understand. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have had people tell me this should have been dealt with a while ago. I agree. It could have taken one day if things were followed through in an orderly fashion, but by doing this and not accepting responsibility for a contract that I believe he signed, he is allowing this government to be tarnished and telling us to go outside on our own to do this. Well, I might take him up on that.

The fact is that report was made public, at least by the CBC, and they made a report saying it stated deputy minister contract in there. At one point it referred to a deputy minister level.

I am just asking that he put that forward. As leader of this government, he has a responsibility to be open and forward with the people of the Northwest Territories. Is he failing to do that? Is he abrogating his responsibility? That is my question to him. Thank you.

I would ask the Member if he would just rephrase that question, please? That is a bit rhetorical. Rephrase the question, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is it, in fact, not under the power as Premier that his responsibility is keeping the perception of a good government out there? Is it not in his responsibility as Premier to keep good government? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Premier, a brief response.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have assured all employees that the private and confidential information which they provide to us, which is contained in their contracts, will not be released to the public. That is accountability, Mr. Speaker. I do not have much control over what Members say on the other side of the House. I have said before that I know Members can say outrageous things; they can say things that are not based on fact. They can create legislation that does not exist and make reference to it. Nobody can correct Members in the statements that they make.

We have seen the legal opinion that Mr. Miltenberger produced. It does not substantiate anything that he has made in terms of allegations. It does not do that at all. More recently we had another attached legal opinion that seems to be contrary to the original legal opinion in one point. So what is the point of all this, Mr. Speaker? The point is we say we are consistent with the legislation, with the policies of this government and some of the Members, I believe, want to continue making the allegations that we are not, although they have absolutely nothing to base it on. We have made a suggestion on Friday. We said okay, we need clarification, we agree. We have been working on that since January. We are now proposing to make amendments to the Public Service Act to clarify roles and responsibilities of political positions, those positions that are considered political. This, Mr. Speaker, is what we intend to do. 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 Minister responsible for the Power Corporation. It has to do with the administration of the Power Corporation. Last Thursday, according to page 1836 of unedited Hansard, when asked about running the corporation, the Minister said:

"Running the corporation is left to the board of directors, but there is a shareholder involved in this that has the interest of all the Northwest Territories at heart, in mind and in consideration for the future."

Mr. Speaker, by this, does the Minister mean that the board does not have the interest of all the Northwest Territories at heart in running the corporation?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Mr. Ootes.