Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] I would like to make a statement regarding Aurora College. We do not really know exactly the reason why this person was let go. We are saying this because we have questions and concerns from the community that are coming in, and that is our statement. [Translation ends].

I asked the Premier to tell us where the power to fire the president of Aurora College came from. I quote her response from unedited Hansard. The Premier said: "Hiring and firing the employment contracts is separate than appointments," and, further, she said, "Just because a statutory appointment might be part of a person's job, it does not mean that the applicable Minister who made the appointment is responsible for governing the employment relationship."

Mr. Speaker, the Premier has confused her powers under the Public Service Act with the Minister of Education's powers under the Aurora College Act. In her confusion, I believe she has misled this House and overstepped her authority, in fact breaking the law.

The Public Service Act permitted the Premier to fire Dr. Weegar in his role as associate deputy minister of postsecondary education renewal, but her powers under that act did not apply to Dr. Weegar in his dual capacity as president of Aurora College. Under the Aurora College Act, that power rests plainly with the Minister.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Education's power to hire and fire are one and the same by virtue of section 18 of the Interpretation Act, which states explicitly that the power to appoint a public officer also includes the power to terminate the appointment and remove the public officer from employment in the territorial government. Read together with the Interpretation Act, the Aurora College Act makes it clear, Mr. Speaker, that the only person with the authority to remove someone's appointment as college president is the Minister of Education, and this termination would bring to an end the president's employment.

If these statutory realities aren't enough to convince the Premier of the errors of her ways, the Aurora College Act offers one other bit of guidance that should have told her she was exceeding her powers. For added clarity, section 19(3) of the Aurora College Act states that, for greater certainty, the Minister's authority to appoint the president "operates notwithstanding the Public Service Act."

Put simply, section 19(3) of the Aurora College Act provides that the Public Service Act, and the various processes it sets out for making appointments, has no role in the appointment and termination of the college's president.

It should be troubling to this House that the Premier would play so free and easy with something as sanctified as the duly enacted statutes of this House. It makes one wonder where else she might choose to exceed her authority as a Premier. I believe her misconduct warrants an apology to this House and a pledge to us that this will never happen again. Masi, Mr. Speaker.