YELLOWKNIFE (September 15, 2021) – Today, the Hon. Frederick Blake Jr., Speaker of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, released the full report of the Workplace Review conducted into the Office of the Clerk.
In February 2021, allegations were raised that the Office of the Clerk was a toxic or poisoned workplace. The Board of Management contracted Quintet Consulting to conduct a Workplace Review of the Office of the Clerk, and Quintet determined that the workplace is not, in an overall or broad sense, a toxic or poisoned one.
As part of its mandate, Quintet was tasked with identifying recommendations for next steps and future actions. The Board accepts these recommendations and has directed staff in the Office of the Clerk to develop an action plan for moving forward.
The Terms of Reference and a summary of the Workplace Review Report and Investigation Report are available on the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly website. Consistent with the Terms of Reference, in preparing this Report, Quintet took all reasonable efforts to maintain the confidentiality of the process. To achieve this, the information contained in this Report has been abstracted in such a manner that it would not conclusively identify the source of the information.
“The Board of Management recognizes that this is an opportunity to address employee concerns in the Office of the Clerk and staff are committed to addressing the issues raised in the Workplace Review,” says Speaker Frederick Blake Jr., Chair of the Board of Management. “I would like to thank staff for their candor and patience throughout this process.”
While the interaction of MLAs with the staff of the Office of the Clerk was not the focus of the mandate or of the Review interviews, many participants referred to this as having a negative impact on their work environment. “Members of the Legislative Assembly discussed the report during this week’s Caucus meeting and will be working with staff to address all concerns. Any mistreatment of staff will not be tolerated. Members will hold each other accountable whenever another Member treats our staff disrespectfully.” states Mr. Rylund Johnson, Caucus Chair.
In addition to releasing the results of the Workplace Review, the Board of Management is currently working with relevant parties to have a redacted copy of the report into allegations made against the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly released publicly. This should be released shortly.
Background information:
The Legislative Assembly's Board of Management is established under the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act. The establishment of the Board emphasizes the responsibility that Members have for the general administration of the Legislative Assembly and confirms the independence of the Legislature from the Executive branch of government.
“Caucus” is where all 19 Members meet to set broad strategic direction for the Legislative Assembly and discuss matters of widespread importance to the Northwest Territories as they arise. At Caucus, Members sit as equals, free from other positions they may hold such as Speaker, Minister or Committee Chair. The ability to speak freely in Caucus is based on the confidentiality of the proceedings. Pursuant to the Caucus Process Convention, only the Chair or Deputy Chair, when specifically authorized to do so, should comment upon or release information about matters discussed in Caucus.