Joe Handley

Mr. Speaker, yes, Mr. Zoe, has told me and has also told other Members that he will be taking action to make sure this doesn’t happen. Exactly what kind of action that is, what kind of treatment it is, that’s a personal thing and I don’t want to get into any of the details of that. That is something that is Mr. Zoe’s responsibility. He has told us that he will take action to make sure this does not happen again. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, will I speak further to Mr. Zoe? Yes, I will want to seek clarification on what it is he intends to do in terms of seeking help. When you ask is he taking treatment, I am not sure whether you are asking if he is taking treatment in the conventional sense of going to an alcohol treatment centre or whether he’s using an alternative, but those are things that are choices that Mr. Zoe has to make himself. I am sure there are many ways of getting help for the difficulties that Mr. Zoe has acknowledged. In terms of reporting back to the House and laying out Mr. Zoe’s...

Mr. Speaker, I don’t think there is any delay in anything. I acted very quickly when I became aware of this incident. I have discussed this with Members. Mr. Zoe has discussed it with Members. I have taken action that I believe is appropriate. Some Members may not agree with me, but I believe what I have done, given the circumstances as I know them, is reasonable. I believe there is nothing being delayed here, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I can only repeat that Mr. Zoe has told me that he is taking steps to make sure that this will not happen again. He has told me that he is seeking help. I take him at his word. I believe he is a good Minister in carrying out his responsibilities. Mr Speaker, all I can say is I take his word at it. I have also assured the House that if this is happening again, I will have no tolerance at all for it. Mr. Speaker, it’s my judgement, based on the incident that this is one that deserves the action that we have taken. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, yes, I have spoken to Mr. Zoe about these kinds of incidences. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, whether I am Premier or not is a decision the House has to make here. If they are not satisfied with the actions that I take and the decisions that I make, the judgements I make, then it’s up to the House to make that decision. Mr. Speaker, if there were to be another incident like this, then let’s deal with it at that point. I have made it very clear what my position is as I have no tolerance at all for anything further. Mr. Zoe has told me that he is taking steps. He has told the Members in this House in other discussions that he is seeking help. I can’t get into exactly what...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Zoe’s mandate and portfolio is…With him certainly I have considered it, certainly I will consider it in the future. If anything like this ever happens again, not just with Mr. Zoe but with all of Cabinet, I have looked at this one very seriously, I have followed up with the Legion. Mr. Zoe has as well, apologized; the Legion has given me a letter indicating that they have accepted the apology. Today Mr. Zoe stood up and made an apology to all of us and to the public, and has indicated that this will not happen again. I assure the Members again that if there is...

Mr. Speaker, for all of us who take responsibility for public office we, whether we are MLAs or Cabinet Ministers or Premier, are on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and I think during the last few days that lesson has certainly come home to all of us, that we do not have a period on any day where we can just sort of opt out into a private life. That doesn’t happen in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the incident that occurred is certainly being viewed as one that we take seriously. I can let the Member know that upon hearing about it, I did call the Legion, I did talk with Mr. Zoe, I sent a letter to all of the Members advising them of the incident, and I have also spoken to many of the Members about this particular incident. Mr. Speaker, the incident is serious, and it is one that I certainly view as one that we don’t want to see happening, whether it is MLAs or Ministers. I can assure the Member that I have also included in the mandate letters to all of the Ministers...

Mr. Speaker, the comments, as they were relayed to me, were comments that were found to be offensive. They were comments made against people who come from Newfoundland, and people were offended. They relayed that to the management. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.