Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My written question is regarding assessing and managing conflicts of interest in the government. The Code of Conduct Respecting Conflict of Interest and Oath of Office and Secrecy for the Employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories formulates the ethics and values that public servants are expected to follow in their behaviour and describes the consequences of failure to observe the code. In light of the high number of activities Government of the Northwest Territories employees undertake in the voluntary sector, in their communities, in other governance, private and for-profit matters, my question to the Minister of Finance is:
How many GNWT employees currently have approval to undertake outside activities, broken down by whether the activity is outside employment and/or self-employment; service (with or without remuneration) on boards, councils, or committees; and volunteer activities;
What is the number of GNWT employees who have been found to be in conflict of interest at any given time, broken down by year for the past 10 years;
What responsibility does the deputy head have if an employee is found to be in a conflict of interest;
Are there any appeal mechanisms in place if someone feels a conflict exists that has been dismissed by the deputy head; and
New forms of partnership between government and the private sector and more public engagement by governments mean that conflicts of interest may take new forms. What kind of training is the GNWT providing to ensure that those providing approval to outside work have a good understanding of when conflicts of interest may arise; and that all employees, including those who have left the service, understand the appropriate interplay between their employment and any outside commitments, and in fact comply with the codes of conduct?
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
