Robert Hawkins

Thank you for that answer. That’s what I’m looking for.

What are the trends or innovative ways the shop has been looking at under this section of Employer of Choice — that one would define as trends or innovative ways in other jurisdictions, whether they’re large employers or just other regions outside the GNWT that are having an impact so the employer is perceived as the employer of choice?

Mr. Chairman, does the Minister mean an analysis was done or an assumption was done?

But what does it produce? I’m trying to understand. I mean, is it a think tank of people who sit there and come up with ideas? I’m trying to get some detail as to what this function really is. Is it a policy that just says we like people and we want them to keep working for us? Or is it something where they sit around; it’s a think tank where they try to find a process to make sure employees are happy in their workforce and feel their contributions are recognized, and they strive to make sure that employees feel they’re part of something bigger but not forgotten?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, maybe sending a collection agency would be much wiser. I mean, it’s $100 million. Does no one get this? We’re short $135 million. The Minister’s been in the ministerial office almost eight months, and all I’ve heard is nothing. We need some action on this. What about the serious result of stopping defending the federal government, and what about taking on the role you proclaim you’re in charge of and you’ve always fought for? So where are those results? Show the House this.

I just want to get to the sense of one thing the Minister had mentioned about the micromanagement process. I wouldn’t want to think that I’ve got time, or I would hope that every Minister doesn’t have time, to micromanage every single position. But money’s funded for positions. The way you make it sound is that we reward them if they find a way to cleverly come in, whether it’s the fact that they haven’t filled a position on purpose or the fact that they haven’t been able to fill a position because no one has wanted it. But the fact is that any money left over shouldn’t be seen as a reward...

It’s really nice to hear all possible options are being moved forward to fight this issue, because this is the same Minister it had taken over eight weeks to find out how much that file is. It was a simple question at the time, which was how much money is outstanding to the government.

Mr. Speaker, the Finance Minister has talked many times to the fact that we’re broke or our revenues aren’t keeping up to pace with our expenditures. I would think that the Minister would be phoning DIAND every day. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell this House: when was the last time this issue was brought up...

Mr. Chairman, if I were to ask the Human Resource Minister, and I probably will…. Let’s assume this is an ask. Does the Human Resource Minister have any grasp on how many unfunded positions there are out there in the government and what it’s costing the government?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about the fact that DIAND owes this government approximately $100 million. That money could go a long way to fulfilling some of the needs that our Finance Minister’s often described, as our expenditures are certainly…. We’re not able to keep pace with them.

This is a problem that goes to the highest office of this Assembly. And I’d prefer it not be pawned off to a particular Minister.

I’d like to know what the deputy minister, who would be well-informed on this file, is doing to help play a role and to help negotiate these dollars...

I find it interesting that the Minister has, on a number of occasions, highlighted the fact that not just his department but a number of departments don’t fund positions at 100 per cent. That may be an extremely clever accounting process. I recognize that — I think he said earlier — we have a 14.2 per cent turnover. That may be the theoretic approach to not implementing full salary in the department, knowing very well that they’ll never use it. But yet, it does bring in the question about whether that’s a proper formula process.

I know the clock’s ticking now, so I’m going to squeeze two...

Mr. Chairman, I’ve said at least a couple of times that I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep, but I’m really curious on the creative accounting: how you could reduce $1.5 million from a non-existing budget. I’m not that tired.

Maybe we could work with it this way: with the historical figure that we’ve been spending for this locum budget over the last two years — because you would have had to take $1.5 million from somewhere, and how can you tell me that’s a reduction…? So you must have some estimate or be able to frame it up as an eligible cost you’ve been budgeting toward.