N.W.T. premier's girlfriend strikes back at inquiry
A former N.W.T. legislature clerk who was in a secret affair with Premier Floyd Roland spoke out publicly for the first time Wednesday, denying accusations that she passed MLAs' committee secrets to the premier.
Patricia Russell testified at an adjudicator's inquiry being held in Yellowknife this week to determine whether Roland was in a conflict of interest by not immediately disclosing his extramarital relationship, which Roland admitted he had kept secret for months.
During that time, Russell was still working at the assembly as a deputy clerk and was attending confidential meetings of assembly committees.
When asked point-blank Wednesday morning if she started revealing confidential information from MLAs' meetings to Roland after their relationship started, Russell replied, "Absolutely not."
"I signed this oath of office in August of 2006 and I have upheld that oath to this very day. I have not divulged any information to Mr. Roland," Russell testified.
'Baseless accusations'
She also thanked the inquiry for giving her an chance to respond "to baseless accusations that have absolutely no evidence."
"No, no, no," she said. "My answer is no, and you can bring the Bible back over here. I'll hold it and hug it."
Russell, who worked as a journalist for 12 years before joining the legislative assembly, said she knows how to deal with sensitive issues.
"Confidentiality has been my bread and butter," she testified.
"Working in my adult life has been based around matters of confidence, how to use confidential information."
The inquiry was called after Conflict of Interest Commissioner Gerald Gerrand ruled that it was reasonable to believe Roland's intimate relationship with Russell compromised his duty to the legislature and the public.
Gerrand's investigation began after six MLAs filed a complaint in February, raising concerns that Russell may have shared with Roland confidential information from their committee meetings.
During her testimony Wednesday, Russell said she felt betrayed by the MLAs who have accused her of passing on committee secrets to the premier.
Russell, who no longer works at the legislative assembly, said she had a good working relationship with MLAs. At least five of them would talk with her about personal family issues, she added.
'What happened?'
"I thought, 'Good working relationship. These are reasonable people.' I took that into consideration ... when Mr. Roland and I decided we're going to create a life together, we're going to start a life together," she said.
Russell said she now feels extremely disappointed that the MLAs have shunned her, and that none of them even asked her for her version of events.
"To this day not one of them have said, 'Patricia, What happened? Patricia, what's your side of the story?' None of them have come to me to say, 'Patricia, we're concerned about these various issues. Will you speak to them?'" she testified.
"I would think that [with] people who have collegial, strong working relationships with reasonable people that that would be a step to take."
Roland testified before the inquiry on Wednesday afternoon, also disputing claims that Russell had disclosed any MLAs' confidential committee information to him.
In fact, Roland claimed it was another MLA — who he refused to name — who passed on committee secrets.
Roland added that the only reason he did not make his relationship with Russell public earlier was out of consideration for his wife and six children.
"It was the night of Nov. 17 that I knew this was not going to turn back. It was going to go ahead. And that night, I approached my spouse to inform her that I was involved with Miss Russell," he testified.
All parties will make closing arguments on Friday.
Adjudicator Ted Hughes said he will hand in his recommendations to the legislative assembly sometime during the next session, which begins next week.