N.W.T. premier taken to task for Horne case comments

Northwest Territories Premier Joe Handley is in the eye of amedia storm for comments he made regarding alleged sexual assault victims of former teacher Edward Horne.

Horne has been convicted of sexually assaulting some of his students during the 14 years he spent in the eastern Arctic working for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut governments.

In 2002, a group of 85former students received a $21.5-million out-of-court settlement from the two governments to compensate for the abuse. A second lawsuit filed by 72 men and one woman isbefore the courts.

In interviews with CBC and Canadian Press about the second lawsuit, Handley suggestedsome of the alleged victims may be lying, while others could have consented to having sex with Horne.

MLAs shocked by remarks

Ten N.W.T. MLAshave issued a statement saying Handley had breached thewell-known convention that politiciansnotspeak aboutmatters before the courts.

"The comments were particularly inappropriate in this instance given the very sensitive nature of the case being brought by the plaintiffs," it said.

"The issue of sexual abuse in institutions and by persons who held positions of trust in relation to aboriginal people is one that has had devastating ramifications in the North."

Inuvik Twin Lakes MLA Robert McLeod told CBC on Wednesday that many people still suffer from childhood abuse.

"There's a lot of people out there who went through stuff like this, so to hear the premier of the Northwest Territories make a comment like that, I really felt I had to distance myself from these comments," McLeod said.

In a letter Tuesdayto the Canadian Press, Handley said he thought the remarks he made were "conversational" and therefore"off the record."

He also said the comments were his own beliefs and did not represent any other N.W.T. MLA.