Up until now, there has been no official policy or guidelines concerning the hiring of immediate family members to provincial government positions. However, as of September 1, 1997, the following guidelines have been put in place by Premier Binns:
Immediate family members of the Members of the Legislative Assembly and members of the Senior Compensation Plan are excluded from seasonal employment with government line departments, crown corporations and agencies of the provincial government.
Full-time classified positions, employment opportunities which are staffed by the Staffing and Classification Board, are open to anyone wishing to apply and who is determined to be qualified by the Staffing and Classification Board.
In the event that an applicant for such a position is an immediate family member of a Minister of the Crown or the Minister responsible for a Crown Corporation, the Minister shall remove himself/herself from the staffing process.
The definition of an immediate family member includes spouses, children or their spouses, adopted children, children residing at home, and children under the age of 25.
"The previous Liberal government failed to take measures concerning this issue so I felt the need to provide a clear guideline for all MLAs," said Premier Binns.