Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 03/98) - MLAs had little history to guide them in their decision on whether to ask Don Morin to remain premier this week.

The conflict of interest complaint against Morin is only the fourth filed against a government member since the conflict of interest commissioner' post was established in 1991.

In 1995, Morin, then a cabinet minister, was also the subject of the only other complaint to go to a public hearing.

When the commission announced the complaint would proceed to a hearing, Morin surrendered his public works portfolio to finance minister John Pollard.

Once the commission ruled Morin was not in conflict, he was reinstated as minister of public works.

The only complaint made against a premier, one lodged by a private citizen against Nellie Courneyea in 1995, was dismissed without a public hearing.

In explaining his reason for voting against the motion to have Morin step down while the hearing was being held, Iqaluit MLA noted Alberta premier Ralph Klein and British Columbia's Bill Vander Zalm did not step down when they faced conflict of interest complaints.

Vander Zalm, under pressure from the leader of the opposition in 1991, requested an inquiry to answer questions raised about a real estate deal he had been involved in.

The premier did not step down and no public hearing was held into the complaint. The merit of the conflict charge was not dealt with.

A private process agreed upon by Vander Zalm and the leader of the opposition was used to assess Vander Zalm's role in the business deal at the centre of the controversy.

Conflict of interest complaints against Klein were levied by Liberal MLA Frank Bruseker in 1995 and 1996.

Bruseker said the issue of Kein stepping down while the subsequent inquiry was held never arose.

"He wasn't asked to step down and he did not volunteer to step down," said Bruseker.