General

NWT premier says he’s sorry

Floyd Roland apologizes for affair with legislature staffer

The Northwest Territories premier may have been spared official discipline for the secret affair he had with a legislature staffer, but Floyd Roland says he knows what he did was wrong. Speaking in front of the legislative assembly Monday, Roland issued a public apology for failing to disclose the relationship with Patricia Russell. “I am sincerely sorry that the decision I made has left a mark on my family and on this institution,” he said. Russell, a legislative clerk, is considered part of the opposition in a territory ruled by a consensus-style government. As such, many believed the affair could have given the premier access to confidential information. But after reviewing the complaint, the territory’s conflict of interest commissioner found that while Roland should have disclosed the relationship earlier, no further discipline was necessary.

The Canadian Press

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