.
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (July 25/01) - Jane Groenewegen has been exonerated by the conflict of interest commissioner she wanted removed for being biased against her.
 Speaker Tony Whitford officially released Carol Roberts' report yesterday by tabling it in the legislative assembly. - Richard Gleeson/NNSL photo |
Roberts gives Groenewegen 14 days to remove herself as a director of Greenway Holdings and two other companies in which she has a financial interest.
Premier Stephen Kakfwi said the report raises questions about whether the investigation was worth it.
"It's important that we don't trivialize the due process that is available to people, but I think people should use their common sense," Kakfwi said.
"(Groenewegen's) name was left on file as a director," he said. "That was wrong. But we all know she was not acting as a director, so what was the point of it?"
Most of the time and money spent on the complaint has been devoted to Groenewegen's allegation that Roberts' comments to the media and e-mails complainant Jack Rowe raised reasonable apprehension of bias.
But Great Slave MLA Bill Braden said Roberts' report does not mean the time and expense of dealing with the bias complaint were wasted.
"Those allegations were not brought forward lightly," said Braden. "Through the special committee on conflict process we're continuing to try to resolve those to the satisfaction of the assembly and the NWT."
The unprecedented bias allegation effectively blocked the release of the report. Shortly after Groenewegen filed an application to have Roberts removed from the investigation, the commissioner said she believed the report should be released and members were left to determine what bias, if any, went into it.
"(The report) seems to be fair-handed, even-handed. So if there was apprehension, there is no substance to back that up, in my view," the premier said.
From the outset, Groenewegen has maintained she would be violating her trust agreement by removing herself as a director.
While ruling in Groenegewen's favor, Roberts still found that the minister of health and social services has other work to do to get her affairs in proper order and "has attempted to hide behind her trust agreement, which is no impediment to her doing what is her obligation to do."
Groenewegen has yet to transfer title to her trust assets to a trustee.
Timeline:
March 26: Principal cabinet secretary John Bayly calls commissioner Carol Roberts. Bayly does not inform Roberts that deputy premier Jane Groenewegen and at least one other staffer are listening in on the conversation or that Groenewegen is recording it.
Bayly asks Roberts if Groenewegen can release details of her blind trust agreement. Roberts said the minister is free to release details of the trust.
Bayly asks Roberts about an interview she had with CBC reporter Lee Selleck for a story that aired that day.
June 22: Groenewegen asserts that before interviewing Roberts, Selleck told the commissioner Groenewegen was still listed as a director of companies she has a financial interest in. Roberts showed bias in participating in an interview she knew was targeting the minister, lawyer Barrie Chivers argues.
June 29: The conflict commissioner states Selleck did not make her aware Groenewegen remained a director.
July 6: Groenewegen reveals to Roberts the phone call was taped. The revelation is made in a covering letter from Groenewegen's lawyer to Roberts' lawyers. The letter is not made public and the submission to which it is attached makes no reference to the tape.
July 12: Roberts makes the first public reference to the tape recording in a submission to the committee. Chivers agrees to provide the legislative law clerk and Roberts' lawyers with a transcript of the recorded conversation.
July 17: Legislative law clerk Katherine Peterson requests the tape.
July 18: Through her lawyer, Groenewegen proposes to withdraw bias complaint
July 20: Tape delivered to law clerk.
