Monday, November 2nd, 2009
NWT premier apologizes in assembly for secret affair with legislative clerk
YELLOWKNIFE - Northwest Territories Premier Floyd Roland apologized in the legislative assembly for a secret relationship he conducted with a legislature staff member.
"I am sincerely sorry that the decision I made has left a mark on my family and on this institution," Roland said Monday.
Last fall, Roland began an affair with Patricia Russell, a legislative clerk to several committees composed of legislative members not serving in cabinet.
Under the territory's consensus-style government, there are no political parties and members who aren't in cabinet function as a kind of opposition.
Regular legislative members use the committees to strategize and sometimes to criticize cabinet members and government policy.
Some felt Roland's affair gave him access to confidential discussions and information.
Last May, six signed a complaint asking Ted Hughes, the territory's conflict of interest commissioner, to rule on whether Roland had violated the territory's conflict of interest rules.
In his decision released last Friday, Hughes found that the premier did violate the guidelines and should have disclosed the relationship earlier.
Still, Hughes found that Roland meant no harm and did not recommend discipline.
Roland and Russell now live together. Both have spouses and children.
The conflict of interest inquiry is the second challenge Roland has faced to his leadership. He survived a non-confidence vote in both his premiership and his cabinet in February.
Four out of the last five premiers of the N.W.T. have faced some sort of attempt or threatened attempt to remove them from office. The only one who didn't was Jim Antoine, who served for 10 months in 1998 after Don Morin was forced out.
