Suspended chief electoral officer Nicole Latour is winding down her Northern career and is planning to move to Nova Scotia with her husband Jeff before the end of the year, perhaps as soon as next month.
In MondaySA国际影视传媒檚 confidential MLA caucus agenda obtained by NNSL, the Legislative AssemblySA国际影视传媒檚 Board of Management indicated it would not reappoint Latour after Sept. 30 and would be suspending her with cause and pay for public comments made through her lawyer after the workplace summary report into the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly was released.
The board is recommending that she be replaced by Stephen Dunbar, who would oversee the 2023 territorial election. HeSA国际影视传媒檚 expected to step into the role in October.
SA国际影视传媒淪ubsequent to this decision, the board suspended Ms. Latour for cause with pay until the end of her employment,SA国际影视传媒� the agenda states. SA国际影视传媒淭his was done as a result of the public statement she made following the release of the third-party investigation, publicly aligning herself with a sitting member (MLA Steve Norn) and a formal complaint of a threat and harassment received from a member of the public.SA国际影视传媒�
The document also pointed out that the workplace report and investigation dismissed five of LatourSA国际影视传媒檚 allegations relating to clerk Tim Mercer, the most damning of which was that he allegedly wanted her removed because of her Indigenous ethnicity.
This flew in the face of other parts of the report, which found Mercer was widely seen as a champion of promoting Indigenous staff.
SA国际影视传媒淢s. LatourSA国际影视传媒檚 statement that she believes Mr. Mercer wanted to remove her because she is Indigenous represented a serious allegation that was carefully considered,SA国际影视传媒� according to the report. SA国际影视传媒淯ltimately, Ms. Latour did not make a prima facie case that Mr. MercerSA国际影视传媒檚 conduct related to her race or any other prohibited ground of discrimination.SA国际影视传媒�
Latour denied that she placed much emphasis on her Indigenous ethnicity being a reason why she felt Mercer wanted her removed or that she ever colluded with Norn, but she did make public statements following the report through their shared lawyer, Steven Cooper.
Latour admitted to making inappropriate comments with regards to the formal complaint that she now regrets but viewed it as a moment of frustration and not the threat that was depicted.
First appointed to oversee NWT elections in 2014, Latour granted SA国际影视传媒 an interview and a tour of her home in Hay River shortly after the August workplace review summary report into the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly was completed SA国际影视传媒� in which she was one of four key complainants.
Born and raised in the North, Latour said her involvement in the Mercer affair and her suspension, which she expected, boils down to her wanting to fight for the independence of Elections NWT and accountability to the electorate.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 not like ISA国际影视传媒檓 in the fetal position crying,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 just so frustrated that when youSA国际影视传媒檙e trying to do good work and youSA国际影视传媒檙e unsupported, why continue subjecting yourself?SA国际影视传媒�
She insisted that the GNWT needs systemic change because senior officials within the government have to go through a much more rigorous process to get hired compared to new MLAs, and that was evident this past assembly. As a result, elected members are over-reliant on unelected people who manipulate governance, according to Latour. A key example of this, she believes, is with the Board of Management, who she doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 believe is acting with full information and is being guided too much by civil servants in the assembly.
SA国际影视传媒淐onsensus government doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 work well, weSA国际影视传媒檝e tried it, and itSA国际影视传媒檚 not working,SA国际影视传媒� she said.SA国际影视传媒漈he decision-making models, when you have elected people ill-equipped to do this, they canSA国际影视传媒檛 know everything about everything.
SA国际影视传媒淲orking for the GNWT, we go through a fairly rigorous exercise to vet for competency. This is absent in how we vote our members in.SA国际影视传媒�
Latour sees herself in the vein of outgoing MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, whose excerpt from her book SA国际影视传媒業ndian in the Cabinet:Speaking Truth To PowerSA国际影视传媒� was released last weekend, discussing her experience as federal Justice Minister under the federal Liberal government during the SNC Lavalin affair.
SA国际影视传媒淚t absolutely is (comparable) and look what happened to (Wilson-Raybould),SA国际影视传媒� she said, noting that a mudslinging campaign began, which she also anticipated. SA国际影视传媒淚 expect the same outcome. She stood on her integrity and sheSA国际影视传媒檚 a principle person, and itSA国际影视传媒檚 the same thing for me.
SA国际影视传媒淧eople have been checking in with me asking if ISA国际影视传媒檓 OK, and ISA国际影视传媒檓 good. But a lot of what ISA国际影视传媒檓 saying needs to be said. Like if I donSA国际影视传媒檛 say it, who is? This territory has been limping along for how long and what are we accomplishing?
SA国际影视传媒淪peaking truth to power often comes with retaliation and it is disruptive because you are threatening peopleSA国际影视传媒檚 ideologies, personal station or views.SA国际影视传媒�
