Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 24/01) - A cabinet minister should step down, the conflict-of-interest commissioner should resign and the premier should fire his top two aides.

A special committee of the legislative assembly says that is what's required to begin restoring public trust in the government in the wake of a bitter conflict-of-interest dispute.

"We felt the recommendations were both warranted and addressed the seriousness of the breaches," said committee chair Brendan Bell following yesterday's release of the report.

Though Bell said the committee did not consider asking Premier Stephen Kakfwi to step aside, it had scathing criticism for the Sahtu MLA.

"The absence of any action by the premier on learning (of a secret tape recording by one of his cabinet ministers) ... reveals that there appears to be no independent yardstick or compass of ethical conduct," the committee wrote.

It has recommended that Health and Social Services Minister Jane Groenewegen resign for secretly recording two telephone conversations with Roberts.

Groenewegen made the tapes in an attempt to bolster an allegation of bias she levelled against the commissioner, who was investigating a complaint against the Hay River MLA.

The committee recommended that Kakfwi demand the resignations of principal secretary John Bayly and chief of staff Lynda Sorensen for their parts in one of the recordings.

After calling her up on speakerphone, Bayly did not tell Roberts that Groenewegen, Sorensen, and two other legislative staffers were listening in.

In fact, cabinet communications director April Taylor was the only participant in the telephone call to be singled out for praise by the committee. Her testimony, they said, was "frank and forthright."

Hints of a witch hunt

Kakfwi learned of the March 26 incident on July 6. He took no action for two weeks. In the face of mounting political pressure, he asked Groenewegen for her resignation and reprimanded Bayly and Sorensen.

There was a perception within cabinet that the committee's investigation would turn into a witch-hunt. One cabinet minister attending the quasi-judicial hearing referred to it in passing as an "inquisition."

Both Bell and committee member Michael Miltenberger said there were no political agendas outside the committee's terms of reference.

"I don't even appreciate the question, to tell you the truth," said Miltenberger when asked if there were any other agendas at play.

It was Miltenberger who brought the first of two complaints Groenewegen has faced during this term of government.

"The report has been signed off unanimously by the committee," the Thebacha MLA pointed out. "We worked extensively, put in tons of hours, to do the best, most even-handed job possible."

Yellowknife Frame Lake MLA Charles Dent said the report seems fair to him. After one reading he supported all the recommendations it included.

Dent said it is difficult to find something that was gained through the process.

"I don't think there's any winners here at all," he said. "Unfortunately, I think we're all, to some extent, tarred by the same brush."

The committee also recommends that no sanctions be taken against CBC reporter Lee Selleck, who refused to testify at the hearing.

The report will be debated by the assembly, which has the final decision.

Yellowknife MLA Bill Braden said he needed more time to consider the report before commenting. Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee would not say whether she thinks Groenewegen should step down.