Robert Hawkins

I’ve just heard a perfect explanation of nothing-itis. I mean, it’s a lot of talk, but no results on this file. If somebody owed me this type of money — and I’m not saying $100 million — I’d be calling every day. The fact is, it has been over nine years that this file continues to be a problem.

What message does Cabinet need to get through their head? The fact is: stop providing the services they refuse to pay for. Has the Department of Health ever taken a serious look at this file by saying maybe we should stop providing these services; get DIAND to provide the services, and the territorial...

Mr. Chairman, could I assume that “know” in the context of anywhere but this Minister’s department, whereas he does not know how many unfunded positions are out there.... Can I understand that he’s not aware of what that costs the government?

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. That’s a problem of not getting any sleep. I meant to say the Deputy Premier. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I didn’t hear any details as to if there’s any policy — whether it exists or not — on unfunded positions, to understand what the clear practice is.

Mr. Speaker, it’s been raised a number of times in this House that the 2 per cent cost-escalator cap by Indian and Northern Affairs has placed significant difficulty on our hospital and physician services we provide to status Inuit, Indian and Metis people. Today I wish to state for the record that I’m also very concerned about the failure of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs to acknowledge their fiduciary responsibility to provide health care to status aboriginal peoples of the North.

It is also concerning to me that the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs is, by placing an...

That’s okay. Instead of tying up the Human Resources Minister on this, we’ll use that valuable time to make sure we get the full answer from the Minister at that time. I just would hope the Minister would bring it with her at that time.

As well as the details of — some breakouts of where the locums are situated and whatnot…. That being said, I suspect that the Minister of Human Resources…. Did he play a role, not specific to the nurses but territory-wide? When it comes to government employees, does Human Resources track overtime and allocation of hours? Specifically, the reason I raise that is...

I appreciate the Minister using my time to answer Ms. Bisaro’s question. That said, maybe I could ask the Minister to answer my question, if he doesn’t mind. Mr. Chairman, my question was: how much is the budget for locum nurses?

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate that detail from the Minister. If he could provide some further detail: when we have a section described as supports for human resource planning in the management and the recruitment services area, that would be part of their duties. I’m just trying to get a sense of identification. What work are they doing to help identify those folks who are defined as being in the twilight portion of their career, in the context of numbers? Were they followed in departments, in the sense of how many employees have one year left, how many have two years left, in the sense of the...

Mr. Chairman, although I don’t see the word “survey,” I suspect this is the same area. It’s not under Employer of Choice. I assume it’s under this Corporate Human Resources section, which is what probably conducts the survey specific to the employee satisfaction survey.

Now, I do see in the detail where it talks about surveys and interest surveys, but recently there was a survey done — I think in February — and, oddly enough, it seemed to have coincided with the release of that 135-person lay-off notice as well as, of course ironically, with the $135 million reduction. I was just wondering when...

Mr. Chairman, I didn’t think Donnie Days fell under this, but another Member raised it and I just want to seek some clarity, if I can, because the Minister did respond to those questions earlier. My area of concern, just for clarity, is: does the contribution a member pays into Donnie Days — in other words, they get reduced salary but theoretically take those days off with pay…. How does that affect students, terms and casuals? Would they pay into that reduced-salary pool, which would theoretically guarantee them those days? Or are they losing salary? And if they are, is there a way for them...