A Northwest Territories cabinet minister who appointed his longtime assistant to a $130,000 per year position was grilled about the appointment in the legislature on Thursday.

But Alfred Moses, minister responsible for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission, gave no explanation or justification for the appointment beyond repeatedly saying he had the authority to make it.

"I'll say it again so everyone can hear, under Section 107 [of the Workers' Compensation Act] I as the minister have the authority to appoint the workers' adviser," said Moses.

Moses gave the three-year contract for workers' adviser to the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission to Maia Lepage late last year. Lepage has served as Moses's campaign agent, constituency assistant, executive assistant and was most recently his senior adviser. Moses has described her as "a good friend."

"It's legislated, it was a decision that was made, and anybody that's in that position is well-qualified to do that work," he said Thursday.

Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart pressed Moses on what qualifications Lepage has for the job. (CBC)

The workers' adviser helps injured workers navigate the sometimes complex processes they must use if they disagree with the compensation they've been awarded for their injuries.

The position was not advertised. The person who held the position of workers' adviser before Lepage was appointed after responding to an advertisement for "expressions of interest" in the job.

Moses has refused repeated requests from CBC for an interview about the appointment. Lepage herself has not responded to requests for an interview.

MLA questions Moses

Responding to questions from Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart on Thursday, Moses refused to reconsider the appointment or seek advice about whether he was in a conflict of interest in making the appointment.

When Testart asked what qualifications Lepage has for the job, Moses said, "I'm not going into the details of somebody's resumé," but assured Testart that Lepage is "very well qualified."

The minister said his appointee "has done a lot of work at the local, regional, territorial and even national level," but did not specify what kind of work she has done.

"The decision was made, a legislated decision. and I stand by that," said the minister.

Lepage's predecessor, Patrick Scott, said he had lobbied for an administrative assistant to help with the heavy workload of cases. The government recently advertised for an administrative assistant for the adviser.