Debates of February 15, 2005 (day 36)

Mr. Chairman, I have a motion. I move that this committee recommends that the chairman of the Financial Management Board work diligently with the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development to deal proactively with the growing financial and human resource liability and that the Sirius Diamond receivership issue be resolved in the public interest no later than April 1, 2005;

And further, the committee recommends that the GNWT establish a firm position for dealing with diamond mines and resolve the issues affecting the viability of the secondary diamond processing industry in the NWT as quickly as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

---Applause

Page 2-57, $4.089 million.

Agreed.

Page 2-58, directorate, grants and contributions.

Agreed.

Page 2-59 is blank. Information item, directorate, active positions.

Agreed.

Information item, 2-61, directorate, active positions.

Agreed.

Page 2-63, active summary, labour relations and compensation services. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Sometimes it’s a bit of a quiz knowing just where to bring the question up, but I think the question I have belongs in this area. It relates to some of the information contained in the 2005-2008 Business Plan that FMB has filed along with the rest of the government, and it relates to the undertaking to do a comprehensive review of the Public Service Act, Mr. Chairman, the act and regulations, with a view to updating the act and regulations during this coming fiscal year.

This is a major piece of work and it is one that I support and look forward to. I wanted to ask the Minister if we could get just a bit of a snapshot of some of the highlights of what some of the anticipated areas of revision would be. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Public Service Act that we are going to be going forward with is going to follow on the heels of the human resource service centres' work. Once we have that piece of work done, then we can begin to focus on that. This is one of the high priorities that we hold. As we move forward with that, we are going to need to sit down with committee members to see where we want to see our public service go and how we proceed down the road that is acceptable to Members of the Assembly. It’s early and we need to sit down and have that discussion, but it will follow as we proceed and conclude the work on the human resource service centres. That’s taking up a fair bit of energy now. Once we have that process down, our staff within that area can refocus and start looking at the Public Service Act and the need for change. At that point, I would be coming back to committee to seek input as to where we want to see this process go. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So the intention, as outlined in the business plan to do this in the coming fiscal year, there’s a suggestion that we may need to back off from that timing.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t believe there’s a need to back off on this one. As we go through the next process, we will be able to get started on it this year coming up and begin that process. So I don’t believe it’s a backing off. It’s a matter of getting started and ensuring we are heading down the right path. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Braden.

Good. I am pleased to see we are keeping the initiative. These are big pieces of work. We had expressed an intention at the beginning of our term as the Legislative Assembly to focus on this. I look forward to seeing progress on this in the coming year, Mr. Chairman. I certainly would like to avoid a traffic jam, if you will, as our term comes to a close. We have about two-and-a-half years left to make some of these changes, so let’s keep going.

Mr. Chairman, I have one other question. I believe it’s in this area, again, from the business plan. There is an objective to complete a review and implement recommendations for the establishment of a benefit service centre. I just wanted to ask for a bit of an explanation. What is a benefit service centre? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, that work is now part of the human resource service centres that we are working on and the pay and benefits side has been incorporated into that, so that work is proceeding. From the headquarters end, we are looking at amalgamating the pay…I guess it comes down to the ability to write the cheques to one location so we have consistency in that area. That work is, again, part of the process we are in now through the human resource service centres. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Going to 2-63, activity summary, labour relations and compensation services. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want some clarification from the Minister on this. The GNWT is also responsible for regulating their payments for GNWT boards. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the government does, through another section, regulate honorariums that would be set up for different boards and agencies that would work for us or work under us, but not under this section. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just for clarification, it would be another section of the Financial Management Board? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, it’s underneath government accounting and within our Financial Administration Manual where we set these guidelines up. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to ask the Minister questions about the health care job evaluations that have been going on. The Minister’s opening statement indicated in the paragraph about that section…I am not sure whether or not he says the evaluations have been completed because we know that there have been some disagreements or some disputes about the evaluations. There were quite a few employees who were not happy with the results of the evaluations. Could I get the Minister to update us on where we are at with that? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the current status we are at right now is there are 15 appeals outstanding around the whole government, around the job evaluation process that was used. In addition to the above, there are 32 health care employees who have filed appeals in that area. So things are moving along. There are a number of appeals that have been filed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ms. Lee.

Thank you. Are these outstanding appeals just moving along with the process, or is there something extraordinary that’s getting in the way of it or are they just going through the process? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My understanding is the process is moving along and things are moving at the normal pace, whether some may accept that or not. It is moving along and it’s a matter of scheduling the actual hearings. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ms. Lee.

That’s the number one rule. If you ask a general question, you are going to get a general answer. Sorry, I can’t really get into detail on this. Let me just move to before your agreement with the NWT Medical Association with doctors and contractors. That’s a four-year agreement. The GNWT is now under negotiation for the UNW contract, which includes the nurses and other health care professionals. I am not sure if the Minister responsible for the FMBS can answer this, but earlier today in answering questions about the lack of family doctors for some people who cannot get a family doctor, the Minister of Health and Social Services provided to this House answers pertaining to the possibilities of looking at some options such as a walk-in clinic, reprofiling emergency clinics or consolidating different medical clinics to provide a better service. I am thinking anything like that should be part of the discussion before you go into negotiations. I don’t even know how to ask this. I am sure the Minister is not going to give me information on the negotiations. Let me ask anyway. Would this be part of the discussions about what the government is planning on doing in terms of delivering health care services and some of the changes that the government wants to make? Do you talk to the health care providers about those things, or are those negotiations strictly on compensation and benefits?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The negotiation process would be based on terms and conditions of employment, so the process would be on existing established positions. We don’t incorporate what might be down the road, so we are working with their existing arrangements around that scenario. Further discussions the Member has identified are things that, as a government, we would have to endorse, number one, and then follow through the process. That type of discussion doesn’t happen at the table. If we know this is coming into effect and that would become part of it. If there is already a plan and acceptance of changes that are coming down, then that would be identified and included in the discussions. It’s to the extent of knowing where we are going and the positions identified and put into the plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could I just ask the Minister what the time frame is that we are working with with the negotiations that the government is under now? What is the time frame? I think the negotiations started before the current contract has ended, so I just wanted to have that information. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It would be our wish to have one concluded before the existing one expires. It expires at the end of March, but, if required, we will continue on and hopefully get a settlement in the spring. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Page 2-63, activity summary, labour relations and compensation services.

Agreed.