Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, that is certainly something that has crossed my mind. I have told Mr. Zoe that I believe he is a very good Minister in carrying out his job. He has other difficulties to deal with and I will be there to provide all of the support I can to help him overcome those difficulties. If it means that he is going to be away, if it came to that, then certainly I would support that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 7, oral questions. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier and it's with regard to the statement made by Mr. Zoe. I have been listening to the answers being provided by the Premier and the questions being posed. I am a little confused about where we are here.

First of all, it's highly regrettable that we have to spend this sort of time and energy addressing something that could have been dealt with in a more responsible manner by the Member in question. I just want to put that out there. The second thing is, for me, the whole discussion came about because of the fact that Mr. Zoe himself did not indicate anything in his statement about treatment or any kind of action. I didn't hear that. In my private conversations with the Premier, it was my understanding that Mr. Zoe is not prepared to do that. If he was, I would not be asking any of the questions that I am today. So what is his understanding? For me, my problem is that Mr. Zoe has not taken responsibility for what he has done and he is not prepared to do any kind of treatment. Could the Premier clarify what his understanding is of Mr. Zoe's position? Thank you.

Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier, Mr. Zoe has indicated to me that he is prepared to take steps to ensure this will not happen. I have also indicated to Mr. Zoe that I will do whatever I can to support him. I think all of us feel that we want to resolve this issue. Exactly what that is, that's something I have to say that is a personal matter with Mr. Zoe and I really urge Members to talk to him privately. I don't think Mr. Zoe wants to lay out exactly what he is planning to do in the House here. That is a private, personal matter. It's not an easy one and, Mr. Speaker, I say to Members talk to Mr.

Zoe and he will be able to tell you. It's not my place to get into the details of something that is very personal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that the Premier's statement is very, very problematic. This is not a family of 17 brothers and two sisters. I understand there is a personal matter and a personal suffering here, but this assembly is a public body. We are talking about actions that were taken by a public person in a public forum in a very public event. North of 60 Idol had at least 200 people present and the Premier is not Mr. Zoe's father, brother or uncle. He is the leader of this government. He is my leader. I wish Mr. Zoe wouldn't be smiling. I am sorry; what's going on here? It matters what a Member here does. Mr. Premier can be a personal friend to Mr. Zoe, but as the Premier, he has got to show more leadership and be prepared to do...So why is he insisting on doing this dance of "I hear your pain, do whatever you can and I am with you?" Where are his obligations to the public? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I am at a bit of a loss as to what it is the Member wants us to say. What is the magic word? Mr. Zoe has told me that he has taken steps to ensure that this does not happen again. The details of those steps are very personal to Mr. Zoe. If Members want to know more, then I encourage them to talk to Mr. Zoe, but I am comforted to take Mr. Zoe at his word that he is taking steps. If he does not follow through on that, then he knows what the consequences are. I have told the House earlier today what those are. All I can say, if you want to talk about this, which to me is a very personal thing, talk to Mr Zoe privately is my advice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier should be totally ashamed of that answer. Mr. Speaker, we know the Premier of Alberta had to make a public apology and say he was seeking treatment when there was a problem like this. If this happened to any other Minister in any other government, that Minister would be at least suspended if not gone. If this happened to any other senior officials in this government and they said and did what Mr. Zoe did, that person would not have a job right now. I would certainly hope that. For the Premier to say this is a personal matter, why is it so difficult for him to say I support you, take time and in the meantime you are relieved of your responsibilities until you have dealt with it. Isn't that the proper public action to take by a Premier who has worked so hard to be the leader of this government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I didn't hear a question. That was more of a statement. Item 7, oral questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the nature of the comments. I am not aware of the exact wording of the comments. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, without the exact wording, would the Premier share with the House what were the nature of the comments that Mr. Zoe made? Thank you.

Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, the comments, as they were relayed to me, were comments that were found to be offensive. They were comments made against people who come from Newfoundland, and people were offended. They relayed that to the management. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What does the Premier have to say to the people of the Northwest Territories who come here from other jurisdictions who are hardworking contributors to the northern society? What does he have to say to those people about whom these comments were made? Thank you.

Mr. Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry that these comments were made. I have tremendous respect for all people, no matter where they have come from who live and work in the Northwest Territories, and without any hesitation at all I can say that I apologize to anyone who may be offended by things that are said by individuals in Cabinet, or individuals anywhere. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.