The leader of the NDP believes the minister of Economic Development may have gone back to insulting the public service again.

NDP boss Todd Hardy was referring to comments made by Minister Jim Kenyon in a letter he wrote to conflicts commissioner David Jones' findings.

Jones was called in by Kenyon to look into his involvement in one of his clinic's employees getting a spot at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) paid for by the Yukon government.

Jones ruled Kenyon was not in a conflict of interest. Kenyon wrote the letter for Jones to consider in the case.

When the situation arose in January, it was revealed that in 2004, Kenyon lobbied Education Minister John Edzerza and Premier Dennis Fentie to pay for the spot at the college for his employee after the Department of Education informed the school the government would not pay for it.

She would not have been accepted as a Yukon student unless the government forked over $25,000, since the four western provinces fund the Saskatoon-based school.

Eventually, cabinet decided to pay for the spot for the student, starting in the fall of 2004. The student still must pay her own tuition.

All that was unveiled through documents the Star obtained from the government through the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

It was also revealed that another student, this one in 2003, was also eligible but not accepted because the department indicated it was not paying for the seat. A spot has never been paid for that student.

In January, Kenyon eventually spoke out on the situation and said he knew nothing about the 2003 student. He added that the government should have also paid for that student. He accused the department of not properly following orders, speculating that the motives may have been political.

Shortly after that, Kenyon made a public apology to all civil servants.

But Hardy noted the statement Kenyon made in his letter may undo all of that.

'As for the claim of a qualified student' in 2003, I have no knowledge of this. I believe that such a student may not exist,' Kenyon wrote to Jones.

Hardy notes that Kenyon thinks that no such student exists despite the fact documents from the government show department officials talking about that student.

Since Kenyon had seen these documents by that point, Hardy believes the minister may be accusing them of lying.

'I read that as Mr. Kenyon as almost going back on his apology to the public servants,' said Hardy.

He said the minister is once again accusing the department of misleading the minister.

'It raises some question around the sincerity of his apologies,' said the NDP leader.