Legislation planned to clarify chief of staff role
Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Feb 23/01) - Questions over the premier's chief of staff refuse to go away.
Premier Stephen Kakfwi had to deflect renewed attacks over Lynda Sorensen's job and what MLA Floyd Roland called the government's "about face" on her job description.
The role and responsibilities of the chief of staff have been a sore point since the federal election.
Roland, Inuvik-Boot Lake MLA, raised the matter again in the Legislature Wednesday.
Quoting from Hansard, Roland noted that while the premier had referred to Sorensen as an executive assistant, Finance Minister Joe Handley said the job "fit pretty much in the same category as do deputy ministers."
Kakfwi accused Roland of trying to "twist" the issue and said cabinet plans to introduce legislation in the next session that will clarify the chief of staff's job.
In an interview, Kakfwi said a chief of staff is necessary to ensure that all members of the executive staff act in a co-ordinated manner.
"I'm very happy with what I've done," said the premier.
He said he had sat in previous cabinets where ministers' staffs had no contact with each other.
"It's a tough working environment," said Kakfwi.
He also said neither Roland nor Thebacha MLA Michael Miltenberger, who has also been critical of the premier's handling of the matter, may not fully understand the intricacies of working in cabinet.
"They were only ministers at best for less than a year."
Roland said that regardless of what Sorensen's duties are, the Premier had no business signing a contract that exempted her from provisions of the Public Service Act.
"The fact is, cabinet signed a document that went against the Public Service Act," when they agreed to the contract, he said.
