YELLOWKNIFE (Tuesday, February 14, 2023) – Members of the Legislative Assembly have recommended to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories the appointment of Glen Rutland as Clerk of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly effective April 1, 2023.
The Speaker, Frederick Blake, today welcomed the appointment of Glen Rutland as the new Clerk of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.
This appointment, which was approved by the Legislative Assembly today, is effective April 1, 2023.
Mr. Rutland’s public service career and his expertise in parliamentary law and procedure span more than 20 years. Mr. Rutland served as the Deputy Law Clerk, Law Clerk, and Deputy Clerk, House Procedure and Committees at the Assembly. Prior to joining the Assembly, Mr. Rutland worked within the Department of Justice, Government of the Northwest Territories as the Director of Policy and Planning and practised administrative, public and employment law in Lawson Lundell’s Yellowknife Office. Mr. Rutland holds a Bachelor of Laws with Great Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan, a Post-Degree Certificate in Public Relations, Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology and a Bachelor Degree in Political Science from University of Waterloo.
The Speaker thanks Mr. Tim Mercer for his dedicated service as Clerk of the Northwest Territories since 2003. During his tenure as Clerk, Mr. Mercer showed exemplary leadership in the House, to the benefit of all Northerners. Tim Mercer served six legislatures and presided over five transitions of Government. He served two terms as President of the Association of Clerks at the Table in Canada and is widely recognized as an expert on parliamentary procedure and consensus government.
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“Glen Rutland is an excellent choice for Clerk of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly. With his vast knowledge of rules, procedures, practices and precedent, along with his decades of dedicated public service, I have no doubt Mr. Rutland will continue to serve Northerners in the tradition of his predecessors and the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.”
–Hon. Frederick Blake Jr., Speaker
Quick Facts
The primary role of the Clerk involves working closely with the Speaker and the Board of Management to ensure the laws, practices, rules, traditions and customs of the Assembly are applied accurately and consistently and are perceived to be so in the eyes of the public. The Clerk provides advice to the Assembly to ensure that its rules change to adapt to new realities and that, once adopted, they are applied in a consistent and unbiased manner. In fulfilling this role, the Clerk must anticipate but never lead. The Clerk’s advice must be, and be seen as being, apolitical, impartial and unbiased.
Pursuant to the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the Clerk shall be appointed by the Commissioner on the recommendation of the Board of Management approved by motion of the Legislative Assembly. As a permanent officer, the Clerk serves the House, regardless of prorogation or dissolution of the Legislative Assembly.
The new Clerk of the Legislative Assembly was selected through an open, transparent, and merit-based competitive appointment process.