If we feel that fiduciary obligations are not being followed, we are not worried, we don’t take our time in asking questions about it. As far as if we were asked about specific reduction of six people from the MVEIRB office, we were not consulted about it.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Glad to hear it. On the second part there, I was asking about the planned funding cuts rather than the people that were the decision of the board that they were finessed into. We partner governments and boards rely heavily on the Environmental Review Board for essential information and advice, and the federal government is kicking the legs out from under it. The Commissioner of the Environment said the same thing even before these cuts.
My question is, as I asked in my statement: How long will devolution negotiations muzzle our voice and our willingness to stick up for the vital public interests that are under assault here? When will this government finally speak up? Thank you.
Sometimes it’s good to have the last word, but we are not being muzzled. We are negotiating with the Government of Canada. As we’ve said all along, we hope that everybody will support devolution, because if you want to protect resources that are in the current system, the best way to do it is by having devolution occur and have devolution occur in a very timely manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask questions to the Minister of ITI, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Ramsay had an exploration readiness meeting in Norman Wells that was attended by the Sahtu leadership with the Department of ITI and oil and gas companies. I want to ask Mr. Ramsay, on the 11 recommendations on the Sahtu readiness exploration session all had to do with the Sahtu shale oil play. What’s the next step to this important meeting and, more importantly, to the 11 recommendations that came forward?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the first step is this budget. I think we’ve answered the call with what is happening in the Sahtu with the Canol shale oil play. We’ve addressed the concerns, some of the concerns that are there. The dialogue has to continue with the Member, with the leadership in the Sahtu and also with industry. That dialogue continued even today, as folks from the industry were here in Yellowknife and I met with them this morning, and we will continue to have that dialogue so we ensure that the benefits are maximized for the people that live in the Sahtu and we can see this play, hopefully one day, getting into production. Thank you.
In front of me I have the two-page 11 recommendations. I want to ask Minister Ramsay, I met, also this morning, with one of the oil companies and they were talking about their upcoming activities. One of the key points of this activity taking off would be understanding the fracking that’s going to possibly happen in the Sahtu and the importance of the Sahtu people, along with the people of the Northwest Territories, getting ready. If fracking takes off, we need to get ready.
How soon can the Minister pull together a meeting in the Sahtu to look at the concept of fracking and what it’s going to entail, and how we can prepare ourselves?
The government, through ITI, has done a fair bit when it comes to getting people educated about fracking, what it is, how it works. We had a study tour with Members last fall and we’ve more recently taken a group of 15 leaders from the Sahtu down to I believe it was Calgary for a study tour as well. I really think it’s important that the leadership in the Sahtu understand what is at risk here.
Certainly, there’s going to be a lot of business opportunities and economic potential for Aboriginal businesses and development corporations in the Sahtu. I think it’s very important at the earliest opportunity we get Aboriginal business leaders and other leaders in the Sahtu to a place like North Dakota, perhaps as soon as April, if we can pull this off to talk to Aboriginal leaders in North Dakota who have benefitted tremendously from the economic activity in the Bakken in North Dakota and the jobs it has created for their people.
So I want to pull this together, and hopefully sometime this April we will have a tour to the Bakken in North Dakota. Thank you.
I will look forward to the Minister’s planning and anything I can do to help to make this trip successful.
I want to ask the Minister with regard to a comprehensive sit-down with the Sahtu leadership on the transportation and the hundreds of trucks that come up on the winter road, the training, the drug and alcohol issues that we have, the business opportunities, a comprehensive review of what happens after this season in the Sahtu where there were hundreds of millions of dollars spent. Let’s sit down with the leaders, sit down with the people who are, firsthand, experiencing this and say, this is what we learned, let’s get ready for this year. Could the Minister commit to a meeting with the Sahtu people?
In questions, I believe late last week, I gave the Member my commitment to perhaps even drive the winter road into his region into the Sahtu sometime this winter during the life of the ice road. If we can do that, if we can pull it together, I would be more than happy to talk to businesses, residents and stakeholders in the region. As I mentioned late last week, we have to learn lessons from this year’s experiences with the ice road, the amount of traffic that was on that road. If there are ways we can improve things, we need to be looking at that in the interim before there is an all-weather road down the Mackenzie Valley, which, Mr. Speaker, I hope happens sooner rather than later.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If resources are proven, there will be a road down the Mackenzie Valley.
I want to ask the Minister, will he commit to pulling in people into the Sahtu to have a community/regional meeting on the exploration that’s happening in the Sahtu so we get ready and start addressing all 11 recommendations from the previous meeting. I thank the Minister for that.
I believe that’s a very worthwhile exercise and certainly something that, through the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, we can work with the Member and try to make something like that happen. We had the readiness session last year, and I believe we should be having a readiness session each fall in preparation for the upcoming season. I want to see that become an annual-type event.
Certainly, I understand what the Member is saying, and if there is a need to get together after the season is over in the spring to talk about issues, I think that’s a worthwhile exercise and certainly something that I would support. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5 on the Order Paper.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I want to use this opportunity to recognize one of our good, corporate citizens of Inuvik, Mr. Kurt Wainman, owner of Northwind Industries, and I would also like to welcome Mr. Russell Newmark from E. Gruben’s Transport. Welcome, gentlemen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled Letter to Mr. Robert Hawkins dated February 12, 2013, regarding Written Question 12-17(3), Senior Management Salary Ranges – Amended Data.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Pursuant to Section 5 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I wish to table a Summary of Members’ Absences for the Period of October 17, 2012, to February 5, 2013. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, February 14, 2013, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on February 14, 2013, it shall be adjourned to Monday, February 18, 2013;
And further, that any time prior to February 18, 2013, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as has been duly adjourned to that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that, on Thursday, February 14, 2013, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that the Government of the Northwest Territories inform the federal government of our dissatisfaction both with the dismantling of the federal environmental protection regime and with the federal government’s failure to consult and inform this government on changes directly affecting our interests, the ensured integrity of our environment and the content of devolution negotiations that are currently underway;
And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories immediately begin to determine the cost of repairing and maintaining the environmental management regime post-devolution in order to restore it to the responsible standard expected by our public;
And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories begin to identify the means through which such costs could be funded, including rigorously seeking Government of Canada support;
And furthermore, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 1, Tlicho Statutes Amendment Act, be read for the second time.
This bill amends provisions to the Tlicho Community Government Act to ensure consistency with similar provisions in other statutes governing municipalities. This bill also modifies the eligibility criteria for nominations as a candidate for chief or councillor of a community government and modifies the beginning and end dates of the term for council members.
Further, this bill will enable the council of a community government to appoint an eligible person to fill a vacant position if the vacancy is not able to be filled through a by-election.
Additionally, this bill repeals provisions in the Tlicho Community Government Act that have ceased to have affect, and amends several other statutes to add references to the Tlicho Community Government Act or Tlicho community governments and provisions, where there are references to other legislation governing municipalities or to types of municipal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Bill 1 has had second reading.
---Carried
Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 69(2) and have Bill 1 moved into Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Unanimous consent granted
Item 21, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 9-17(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2013-2014, and Bill 1, Tlicho Statutes Amendment Act.
By the authority given me as Speaker, by Motion 1-17(4), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hour of adjournment to consider the business before the House, with Mrs. Groenewegen in the chair.
I call Committee of the Whole to order. The Speaker has listed off the items that are in Committee of the Whole today. What is the wish of the committee today? Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 9-17(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2013-2014.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. We will take a brief break.
Alright, committee. We’ll come back to order, please. Yesterday we ended Committee of the Whole and we did not conclude general comments. I would like to ask whether there are any further general comments on the budget. Seeing none, is committee agreed we are concluded general comments?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will move on to our first department, which is Human Resources. I will go to Minister Abernethy. Do you have opening comments?
Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes, I do.
Carry on, please, Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am pleased to present the Department of Human Resources’ main estimates for the fiscal year 2013-14.
The department is proposing an operations expenditures budget of $42.1 million. This reflects a decrease of $697,000 from last year’s main estimates, or a 2 percent reduction. The reduction is largely attributed to the transfer of specialized human resources programs, positions and associated funding aimed at health and social services professionals to the Department of Health and Social Services.
The department’s budget is proposing funding in 2013-14 for three new positions for ongoing service stabilization, as follows:
a benefits position, located in Yellowknife, to meet the increased reporting requirements of our third-party service providers to ensure employees receive appropriate benefits.
two positions to work with managers to support employees who need accommodations to enable them to remain in the workplace or return to the workplace. Working as a team with the existing duty to accommodate advisor, these new positions will be located in Inuvik and Fort Smith.
The mandate of the Department of Human Resources is to provide leadership and direction to the Government of the Northwest Territories, its boards and agencies in all areas of human resource management. The department’s leadership on human resource management supports all departments and agencies in effectively recruiting, managing and retaining their staff.
Through this mandate, the department ensures that the public service is managed as a corporate resource in a way that promotes human resource stability, employee retention and maximum effectiveness. In turn, this supports the interests of the government, and the vision of Believing in People and Building on the Strengths of Northerners.
Of the department’s 2013-14 budget, $9.703 million, or 23 percent, is allocated for direct support to members of the public service, including dental benefits, medical travel assistance, recognition awards and the Employee Family Assistance Program. In our role as a shared service provider, another $2.7 million, or 6.4 percent, of the budget is targeted to provide funding to departments and agencies for associate director/superintendents, as well as intern and summer student programs under the Maximizing Northern Employment Initiative.
To strengthen the foundation of human resource management services across government, the department’s 2013-14 main estimates identify some departmental restructuring. First, the creation of a new labour relations division, combining all labour relations functions in one place within the Department of Human Resources ensures service, support and advice to client departments, boards and agencies is timely and consistent across the GNWT. It will also ensure a consolidated approach to functions related to labour relations, duty to accommodate, investigations and collective bargaining.
Second, the creation of a new business performance unit to focus on human resource management qualitative and quantitative measures, and business performance metrics and analysis will drive the department’s performance management approach, leading to improved and consistent service delivery and are critical to the success of the service partnership agreements that are currently being piloted with the health and social services system.
In building a strong and sustainable future for our territory, the GNWT is preparing for the imminent devolution of responsibilities from the Government of Canada and is moving forward on decentralization initiatives. The Department of Human Resources has a key role to play in both devolution and decentralization, recognizing the importance of people issues in these strategic initiatives.
The department has a major responsibility in the successful implementation of devolution by ensuring a smooth welcome for affected federal employees into the GNWT public service, ensuring fairness and equity for all impacted employees, including existing GNWT staff, minimizing service disruption and developing a northern workforce.
In support of the 17th Legislative Assembly’s priority to increase employment opportunities where they are needed most, by decentralizing more GNWT positions, the department will continue to provide corporate advice and guidance to GNWT management on organizational design and impact analysis. Within the department, direction action in support of decentralization is well underway. First, as previously mentioned, the proposed addition of two regional duty to accommodate advisors to work on this important issue with our existing staff, and second, the Department of Human Resources has taken steps to regionalize three positions where it functionally makes sense. These include:
decentralizing to Inuvik a functional recruitment officer position with the allied health unit;
establish a helpdesk supervisor position in Inuvik to enhance support for the Human Resources’ helpdesk; and
decentralizing a professional development initiative training officer to Inuvik. While this move is being implemented this fiscal year, it does not show up in the department’s complement of decentralized positions given that it is part of the Health human resource transfer which I mentioned earlier.
In addition, the department is developing a Regional Recruitment Strategy that is intended to enhance regional employment and development opportunities, and includes strategies to align the available labour force with public service employment needs.
Development of the public service remains a key priority and there are many initiatives underway that support this under the flagship of 20/20, the Public Services Strategic Plan. In addition to the key priorities of devolution and decentralization, the department will focus on the following actions in 2013-14:
succession planning and corporate knowledge transfer strategies, given that our demographic information confirms an increase in the number of public servants who are eligible to retire;
continued efforts to ensure a representative workforce by encouraging diversity and supporting the recruitment, development and advancement of Aboriginal employees;
we will also explore the enhanced use of social media, both as a means of communication with current and potential employees, and also as a specialized tool for targeted recruitment strategies;
rigorous occupational health and safety strategies continue to be critical in order to minimize the risk of our staff being injured on the job;
continued training and support for mangers in order to ensure understanding of department and agency accountability and responsibility for human resource management such as accommodations, respectful workplaces and occupational health and safety;
greening the workplace continues to be a key priority to ensure environmental and resource management within the public service;
implementation of service partnership agreements remains critical through ongoing engagement and collaboration with departments and agencies, including a pilot with the health and social services system; and
resolution of commitments in new collective agreements, including successfully concluding agreements on safe disclosure, or whistleblower, and rest periods, as agreed to during bargaining negotiations with the Union of Northern Workers.
Our investment in the public service through 20/20, the NWT Public Service Strategic Plan, has created a positive foundation of human resource management practices and services. The Government of the Northwest Territories was nationally recognized as one of Canada’s top 100 employers for 2013, based on the terms of employment, programs and numerous opportunities available to our employees. This is a tremendous achievement that we all, as leaders, need to be proud to have been recognized for.
I am proud of the good work that the Department of Human Resources does which serves the interests of the entire GNWT as well as the people of the NWT.
In closing, 2012-13 has been a productive year so far for Human Resources, with significant milestone accomplishments, and I am confident that 2013-14 will also yield great results. Together with Members of this Assembly, I look forward to continuing to achieve the vision of the 17th Assembly by believing in people and building on the strengths of Northerners.
That includes my opening remarks and I would be pleased to answer any questions Members may have. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Minister, do you have any witnesses you wish to bring into the House?
