Floyd Roland
Encyclopedia
Floyd K. Roland, MLA (born November 23, 1961) is a politician from Northwest Territories
, Canada
. He was the 11th Premier of the Northwest Territories
, having held office from October 17, 2007 to October 26, 2011.
Previously a town councillor and deputy mayor of Inuvik
, Roland was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1995 Northwest Territories general election
, after defeating the incumbent candidate Fred Koe
. He was re-elected in the 1999 Northwest Territories general election
, winning in a landslide with 83% of the vote.
Roland was returned by acclamation in the 2003 Northwest Territories general election
and acclaimed for a second time in the 2007 Northwest Territories general election
, following which the members of the Legislature elected him Premier of the Northwest Territories
on October 17, 2007.
His government survived a historic vote of no confidence on February 6, 2009 by a vote of 10 to 8, following allegations by a number of MLAs that he was refusing to communicate with them on major policy decisions, including changes to the territory's health benefits policy, a $34-million loan given to Discovery Air
, approval of the $165-million Deh Cho Bridge
, and plans to amalgamate a number of public services boards.
It was also revealed that Roland had an extramarital affair with Patricia Russell, a clerk with the legislative assembly, in 2008.
He faced renewed controversy in May 2009 when the territorial conflict of interest
commissioner, Gerald Gerrand, ruled that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the affair constituted a breach of Roland's duties of office, including not-yet-confirmed allegations that Russell passed on confidential information from legislative committee meetings to Roland.
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was the 11th Premier of the Northwest Territories
Premier of the Northwest Territories
The Premier of the Northwest Territories is the first minister for the Northwest Territories,Canada. He or she is the territory's head of government and de facto chief executive, although the powers of the office are considerably less than those of a provincial premier.Unlike provincial premiers,...
, having held office from October 17, 2007 to October 26, 2011.
Previously a town councillor and deputy mayor of Inuvik
Inuvik, Northwest Territories
Inuvik is a town in the Northwest Territories of Canada and is the administrative centre for the Inuvik Region.The population as of the 2006 Census was 3,484, but the two previous census counts show wide fluctuations due to economic conditions: 2,894 in 2001 and 3,296 in 1996...
, Roland was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1995 Northwest Territories general election
Northwest Territories general election, 1995
The Northwest Territories general election, 1995 was the 18th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 16, 1995. This was the last election before the Northwest Territories was split in two with the creation of Nunavut.The big issue this election was...
, after defeating the incumbent candidate Fred Koe
Fred Koe
Fred Koe is a former territorial level politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest territories from 1991 to 1995....
. He was re-elected in the 1999 Northwest Territories general election
Northwest Territories general election, 1999
The Northwest Territories general election, 1999 took place on December 6, 1999, and was the 19th general election in the history of the Northwest Territories, Canada. This was the first election under the new boundaries that were created when Nunavut was carved out of the Northwest Territories...
, winning in a landslide with 83% of the vote.
Roland was returned by acclamation in the 2003 Northwest Territories general election
Northwest Territories general election, 2003
The Northwest Territories general election, 2003 was the 20th general election in the Canadian territory's history, conducted on November 24, 2003, to elect the 19 members of the Legislative Assembly.The election was called on October 27...
and acclaimed for a second time in the 2007 Northwest Territories general election
Northwest Territories general election, 2007
The 2007 Northwest Territories general election took place on October 1, 2007. It was the 21st in the history of the territory. Nineteen members were elected to the Legislative Assembly from single member districts conducted under first-past-the-post voting system.The election was called on...
, following which the members of the Legislature elected him Premier of the Northwest Territories
Premier of the Northwest Territories
The Premier of the Northwest Territories is the first minister for the Northwest Territories,Canada. He or she is the territory's head of government and de facto chief executive, although the powers of the office are considerably less than those of a provincial premier.Unlike provincial premiers,...
on October 17, 2007.
His government survived a historic vote of no confidence on February 6, 2009 by a vote of 10 to 8, following allegations by a number of MLAs that he was refusing to communicate with them on major policy decisions, including changes to the territory's health benefits policy, a $34-million loan given to Discovery Air
Discovery Air Incorporated
Discovery Air Incorporated , founded and Incorporated in 2004, is a specialized aviation company that operates primarily in Canada. Through its five subsidiary companies, Discovery Air provides aviation and aviation related services for both corporate customers as well as the Federal and Provincial...
, approval of the $165-million Deh Cho Bridge
Deh Cho Bridge
The Deh Cho Bridge, currently under construction since 2008, will be a bridge across a span of the Mackenzie River on Highway 3 near Fort Providence, Northwest Territories, Canada...
, and plans to amalgamate a number of public services boards.
It was also revealed that Roland had an extramarital affair with Patricia Russell, a clerk with the legislative assembly, in 2008.
He faced renewed controversy in May 2009 when the territorial conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
commissioner, Gerald Gerrand, ruled that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the affair constituted a breach of Roland's duties of office, including not-yet-confirmed allegations that Russell passed on confidential information from legislative committee meetings to Roland.