Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to speak about some concerns that I have with actions that we, the GNWT, the employer, require of our employees; actions that, to me, feel like an infringement on their rights. As individuals, we all have our own interests and activities that we pursue outside of our work day and our work environment. I firmly believe we are each entitled to our own opinions and beliefs, but I also firmly believe that those beliefs, activities and passions should only be curtailed or interfered with in exceptional circumstances.

As a government, we have policies in place to protect both the employee and the employer. That is a good thing. Some of our employees are in positions requiring impartiality or the perception of impartiality. Our deputy ministers, directors and senior managers should not be actively engaged in political activities, for instance. The vast majority of our employees, however, should have free reign to take part in any activity of their choice as long as it is outside of their work environment or their work hours and as long as it does not put them in a conflict of interest position.

Imagine my surprise and disbelief when I learned that many GNWT employees are required to report their personal activities to their supervisor; activities such as being a member of a board for an organization such as coaching a sports team, such as attending a workshop honouring International Women’s Day. My problem is with the need to disclose everything and every activity. My examples are activities that are unpaid, volunteer interests unrelated to an employee’s work duties or job. Volunteering is healthy and has value for both the participant and the community. It should be encouraged by an employer. Yet employees must ask permission to take part. The department has to monitor the results of a membership on a board. That is not right, Mr. Speaker. How does my coaching a basketball team have any impact on the GNWT or my job performance? Does the employer even have the right to ask the employee to report his or her activities?

Our policies exist to limit the negative actions or impacts against the GNWT by an employee, but by our actions we are presuming that employees will act badly. Where is the trust in this relationship? I have said before and will say again, we have good employees with good morals and ethics with the sense to know when to report an activity which might be sensitive to a supervisor and seek advice on it.

Do we really value our employees as much as we keep saying? Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Wendy Bisaro

Frame Lake

Thank you, colleagues. Do we really value our employees as much as we keep saying? If so, we need to give them the credit they are due and trust them to be responsible, not start from a position of mistrust. If my information is correct, Mr. Speaker, and we treat our employees as described, it is a small wonder we are not the employer of choice anymore. Thank you.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.