Joe Handley

Mr. Speaker, I’ve asked the same question. First of all, what is the rationale for half of one’s lifetime in order to qualify under the affirmative action policy, and I am also asking whether this is any inconsistency or possible violation of our other legislation. But, Mr. Speaker, at this time I don’t know the rationale that was used at the time this was established. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I am at a bit of a loss as to what it is the Member wants us to say. What is the magic word? Mr. Zoe has told me that he has taken steps to ensure that this does not happen again. The details of those steps are very personal to Mr. Zoe. If Members want to know more, then I encourage them to talk to Mr. Zoe, but I am comforted to take Mr. Zoe at his word that he is taking steps. If he does not follow through on that, then he knows what the consequences are. I have told the House earlier today what those are. All I can say, if you want to talk about this, which to me is a very...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the Committee of the Whole's review of the 2004-05 main estimates it was recommended that the GNWT publicly respond to the Auditor General's Report on Land Claims Implementation.

The Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs has completed a comprehensive review of the Auditor General's report and the observations and recommendations contained within it.

The main points of the Auditor General's report are: (1) Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development must manage federal responsibilities in a way that achieves results: (2) there needs to be a focus by the federal...

Mr. Speaker, that is certainly something that has crossed my mind. I have told Mr. Zoe that I believe he is a very good Minister in carrying out his job. He has other difficulties to deal with and I will be there to provide all of the support I can to help him overcome those difficulties. If it means that he is going to be away, if it came to that, then certainly I would support that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as I said to the Member who had a question previously, the kind of steps Mr. Zoe is taking is something that is very personal to him. It’s one that he has to deal with. This has not been easy for him, for me or for any of us. I would encourage Members if they want to know more, that they take the opportunity to speak to Mr. Zoe privately about what he intends to do. I don’t think it’s something I should spell out the details of here. I don’t feel that’s my responsibility. The important thing to me is that Mr. Zoe has told me, and I accept his statement, that he is going to take...

Mr. Speaker, I have taken action that I believe is appropriate in this case. I will absolutely, certainly take action as I have said if there is ever any other incident that is like this. I will absolutely take action on it immediately. I can assure the House that I intend to do that, absolutely. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Zoe has said in his statement that he is taking steps to ensure this type of incident is not repeated. Okay, that one we know. Second is that he has told the Members in this House. He hasn’t told them in this House, but he has told them in another circumstance that he is taking action, that he is seeking help. I won’t get into that detail but, again, Mr. Speaker, that may be ruled out of order. He has told all of us that. So, Mr. Speaker, I have to take his word. If Ms. Lee is asking me, and I don’t want to project things into her question, if she is asking me did Mr. Zoe...

Mr. Speaker, this is the first incident where I had an official or real complaint. Other than that, I have heard of incidents that have happened about various people, including Mr. Zoe. So this is one where I have met with him. I have followed up in my responsibility to let the Members know. I have followed up with the Legion who had issued the complaint to me. I have discussed this with Members and I have talked to Mr. Zoe. I am doing another letter to Cabinet to remind them that this is not tolerable. Mr. Zoe has indicated to me that he is going to take steps to make sure that this does not...

Mr. Speaker, when this incident we are talking about with Mr. Zoe came to my attention, I, within hours, sent a letter to all the Members to advise them of what had happened. I could have just talked to Mr. Zoe or written a note to him and dealt with it privately. I chose to apprise all of the Members because I thought it was serious. Mr. Speaker, I have also told the Members here that if there is an infraction of this and if Mr. Zoe doesn’t live up to his word or other Cabinet Ministers don’t live up to their word, then there is no toleration at all. In that case, I don’t have the authority...

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the action that I have taken and the action that Mr. Zoe has taken certainly indicates that we view this issue very, very seriously. I believe that what has been done to date not only upholds our ethical standards, but is also showing responsibility towards ourselves as Cabinet Ministers and as MLAs. I want to make it very clear that there will be absolutely no tolerance from here on, and I have said that to many of the Members. I have told Mr. Zoe, I have told all of Cabinet, that there will be no further acceptance of this. Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to get...