SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Premier Floyd Roland is saying an unnamed regular MLA is the source of leaks to himself and cabinet and not his mistress as argued by six MLAs who filed a conflict of interest complaint against him earlier this year.

The premier's lawyer, Kathy Peterson, raised that possibility with Yellowknife MLAs Dave Ramsay and Glen Abernethy during testimony at the public inquiry into Roland's affair, which resumed yesterday.

Both MLAs acknowledged they knew one of the regular MLAs among them was passing on information from their confidential meetings to the premier.

When asked how they knew it was Roland's girlfriend, Patricia Russell, who was also passing on their secrets to the premier, Abernethy and Ramsay admitted they had no evidence it was coming from her. They said Russell became a suspect after her extramarital relationship with Roland was revealed last November.

Russell was working as committee clerk at the time, and regularly attended daily planning meetings with regular MLAs during legislative assembly sessions where strategy and ministerial performance were frequently discussed.

"You go back in your mind over a period of time and where myself and other members were calling into question the government's performance and we didn't hold anything back (during committee meetings)," said Ramsay.

"I just felt (the relationship between Roland and Russell) was an opportunity for what members said in confidence to actually get outside of that room and into the hands of the actual person we were talking about."

On Dec. 5, Abernethy met with Roland privately to discuss the relationship. According to Abernethy, it was during this meeting Roland repeated "word for word" a statement made in a priorities and planning meeting.

The comment related to a question posed to Ramsay by Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen as to whether or not he would take over as health minister if current Health Minister Sandy Lee were to be removed.

Abernethy said Roland denied the information came from Russell, saying instead that it came from another MLA.

Abernethy said his concern is not Roland's affair, but the premier may have breeched the oath he took when he entered office and lied by omission.

"(Roland) said he knows everything that goes on in those meetings," said Abernethy.

Peterson argued frequently that any information revealed from those meetings could have come from the rogue MLA and not Russell.

"I find it hard to believe (Roland and Russell) didn't talk about anything that went on in those meetings," countered Abernethy.

Peterson questioned the motive and timing of the complaint filed by the six regular MLAs against Roland. She asked why the complaint wasn't filed until after a motion failed to remove Roland and his entire cabinet last February.

"I was hoping the premier would resign," said Ramsay, adding if the government had been defeated, he planned not to seek a seat on cabinet. "People have to take responsibility for their actions."

Speaker Paul Delorey, the third and final witness heard yesterday, testified he met with Roland sometime in the first two weeks of October 2008 in a private meeting to inquire about his frequent and "extended" visits to Russell's first floor office.

"I was very concerned at the time that we may be on the verge of losing Ms. Russell as one of our table officers due to the fact the premier ... may have been trying to recruit her to the executive branch," he said, adding he wanted a heads up if that was happening, hence the meeting.

Delorey said Roland "assured me I had nothing to worry about and Ms. Russell was very happy working as a table officer."

Delorey said he subsequently raised the possibility with Roland that his frequent visits with Russell made it appear the two were having an affair, but the premier made no mention of it.

The inquiry reconvenes Oct. 6.