Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I as well would like to speak briefly to the issue of this code of conduct that we received in this House yesterday.
I share the concerns raised by my colleague, Mr. Dent, that this has not quite done the job I think it was intended to. The idea in principle is a good one, but I have gone through this and to me it looks very onerous. As my colleague indicated, it was initially for senior staff, but it has also snared all the other employees in what could very possibly become an intrusive process. The degree of disclosure seems to be equivalent to what we have to go through as Members of this Legislature when you are just an ordinary employee of the government, and not under the same strictures or expectations.
It gives deputies tremendous authority to put employees on the spot, or to put them through a potential meat grinder. We assume they are going to do this all in good faith, but the possibility is there.
There are some very interesting references to the territorial political parties under the political activity section. There is a reference to an unregistered party functioning in the Territories to achieve political aims as one of the definitions of political parties. What does this mean? What groups could be ruled out under this definition? It is very ambiguous and is of concern to me.
I see no reference under deputy ministers or restricted employees to chief of staff, a subject that is still before this House in terms of what is acceptable behaviour for that level of position.
Mr. Speaker, I also took the liberty today of phoning the UNW to find out what they thought of this particular document. They said -- after they tracked their document down this morning -- that they do have concerns that they intend to address themselves, but they share some of the concerns about this. What does it do? The appeal process reports to the secretary to Cabinet, the Ethics Counsellor reports to the secretary to Cabinet. Justice will not be done, or be seen to be done, with that kind of closed, incestuous kind of relationship. It should be, as my colleague indicated, at arms-length so there is fairness to all employees. Thank you.
-- Applause