Debates of March 7, 2005 (day 50)

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 558-15(3): GNWT Affirmative Action Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, affirmative action is something that this government takes seriously and we are working to continue to improve on what we are able to do at this point. That’s one of the reasons why the Human Resource Service Centre idea is one that we feel will bring some positive results. Right now, each department is doing their own thing with different interpretations on the same rules. If we pool these human resource service staff together, they will not only support each other in the work they do, but the interpretation will be the same amongst all service centres. At the end of the day, it will still be the managers who have to manage and account for the final hirings that do go on.

That is something that was of concern to all departments, that we did not go back to the days of Personnel and did all the hiring and so on with employees across the government in the whole of the Northwest Territories. It is something we’re working on. We intend to improve on what we have available. At the end of the day, it’s going to be how we best fit those who apply for the jobs, what type of educational criteria they have and background they have for the jobs they apply on. Again, affirmative action is something that is to support the people of the North getting into those positions, but we have to ensure that they can do the job first of all. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to continue my questions with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on the policy from the federal government. I’m not too sure what I’m hearing. What I’d like to know is, the eligibility for Metis funding, taking the federal government to task on the discrimination in terms of funding Metis people who want to improve their educational ability to enter into university or college. The federal government has a discrimination policy on aboriginal people. I want to know from the Minister what he is specifically trying to do to have the glasses come off the federal government and look at their discrimination policy. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 559-15(3): University And College Entrance Funding For Metis Students

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have, as I’ve indicated to the Member, already written to the federal Minister. I will, if an opportunity presents itself…Perhaps since we will be in Ottawa in April, we may have an opportunity to put the case face to face to the federal government. I have also communicated with the MP for the Northwest Territories, Mrs. Ethel Blondin-Andrew, to express concern about this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 559-15(3): University And College Entrance Funding For Metis Students

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister inform this House if he has talked to other Members across Canada who have maybe a similar situation in terms of the funding for the Metis people under this program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 559-15(3): University And College Entrance Funding For Metis Students

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure if other jurisdictions would have this issue, because in the Northwest Territories it’s a unique situation where we deliver the program on behalf of the federal government. Normally the federal government provides the funding to bands across Canada. It’s not delivered by governments. I could look into whether or not the Yukon is doing it, because that might be the only other jurisdiction where a similar approach would be happening. If that is the case, then I would be quite pleased to work with the Minister from the Yukon collectively.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 559-15(3): University And College Entrance Funding For Metis Students

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s a crying shame in this day and age that the…

Crying shame.

…crying shame that we’re to get our people into education and college programs and university programs and this policy is stopping a lot of people in the Northwest Territories. I want to ask what other alternative plans this government is doing in terms of ensuring that Metis people have the same capacity or same ability to enter into university or college programs as the Dene or Inuit. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 559-15(3): University And College Entrance Funding For Metis Students

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT offers programs that are available to everybody, whether they’re Metis, aboriginal or non-aboriginal, for adult literacy and basic education. Those courses are offered through the college and in the last year have been offered in 25 of 33 communities. So the government is committing a significant amount of money, somewhere in the area of about $3 million a year for this kind of programming across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 559-15(3): University And College Entrance Funding For Metis Students

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, then I guess I’m wondering why this government is in the same boat as the federal government in terms of even though we administer the UCEP program, we’re following the same policy. So we are also discriminating against the Metis people in the Northwest Territories. We’re in the same boat, I guess. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 559-15(3): University And College Entrance Funding For Metis Students

No, I’d disagree with the Member. We do not discriminate. Our programs are available to everybody in the Northwest Territories. Our programs are available for everybody. If the Member is suggesting that we should give UCEP back to the federal government then we could do that, but it would probably mean that there would be less money available in the Northwest Territories. Our programs, the ones offered by the GNWT, are universally available to all members of the public. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we’ve been talking a lot on this side of the House today about discrimination. I’d like to talk about the way this government treats casual and term employees. In an earlier set of questions, the Deputy Premier indicated that we’re not even including the casual employees who are going to be losing their jobs as a result of the actions taken in Hay River. I’d like to ask Mr. Roland, the Minister, what’s the purpose of hiring people on a casual and term basis in this government? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 560-15(3): GNWT Casual And Term Employees

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the casual employees would be hired on the basis of less than six months. That’s a normal thing for short term, summer employment, short projects that staff or departments did not have enough personnel to do the work. That’s the area of the casual employees, as well as a number of departments who do have a number of casuals when it comes to filling in for facilities that are on a 24-hour operational basis. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 560-15(3): GNWT Casual And Term Employees

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, of the people that we had indicated would be losing their jobs in Hay River, I had indicated 12 full-time positions at the Dene K’onia and the 10 casual positions. The Minister indicated that we wouldn’t count the casuals into the job losses. However, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to indicate that of the 10 casuals, at least six have worked at that facility for more than three years, four years, three years, seven, and seven. Quite a number of them have been there for a long time. This is their sole source of income. I think it is really a sad statement on the part of this government and somewhat an abuse of employees, to be able to just now dismiss them with no consequences and no security and no financial risk to this government, to just let them go. I’d like to know if the Minister considers these types of casual links of service to be just…if it’s okay by policy, just to let them go. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 560-15(3): GNWT Casual And Term Employees

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when an individual applies to the Government of the Northwest Territories under a casual position, they’re fully aware and made aware that in fact that position is short term and there are no other ties to the GNWT once that position is deemed no longer necessary. There are no additional benefits in the sense of pension and those things. When somebody is hired on as a casual, they’re aware that the casual basis is different than that of a term employee or a full-time employee. So that’s the information they operate with and some individuals do choose to take the more flexible environment of casual employ. At the same time, they don’t have as many deductions as a full-time GNWT employee, because there are deductions for other insurance packages that are available to employees. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 560-15(3): GNWT Casual And Term Employees

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m sure they’re aware when they take casual positions of that, but I’m sure they’re also compelled to take it because they probably need work and they probably have families to feed. But, Mr. Speaker, with respect to term employees then, as well, is it possible that this government would let term employees go when their term comes up, in order to backfill their positions with other affected employees who have been on a priority hire list because of job losses? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 560-15(3): GNWT Casual And Term Employees

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is referring to, I believe, the staff retention policy that we have as a government. When a term position comes up, it usually means that that job is no longer there for an employee or else there is a returning employee coming back to that position. We do, through staff retention, put affected employees on a list and when openings do come available, they would be slotted in, according to their work history and background, to see if in fact they could be fitted into a position that would become available to them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 560-15(3): GNWT Casual And Term Employees

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What recourse would an employee have if they had been in a term position for a two-year period, the term is going to be renewed but they are ineligible to apply because somebody else is on a priority hire staff retention list? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 560-15(3): GNWT Casual And Term Employees

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when an employee is hired on a term position, again, their employment contract would state for how long that position is available. If it’s a two-year position or so on they would be available, that’s the timeline of that. The staff retention portion -- and I would have to double check this -- I don’t believe would apply because the job is slated to come to completion in that time frame. But I’d have to get the background on that. I’m not fully up to speed on that section. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for Mr. Roland as the Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat and the workforce for the GNWT. Mr. Speaker, the affirmative action policy that our government has, I mentioned earlier, was passed in 1989, as one of its provisions the creation and operation of the Northwest Territories Affirmative Action Advisory Committee. It sounds like a pretty useful organization, considering the issues we’re facing now. I wanted to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, what is the status of this committee and what is its current mandate? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 561-15(3): NWT Affirmative Action Advisory Committee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the committee that the Member just spoke about hasn’t been in operation for quite some time now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 561-15(3): NWT Affirmative Action Advisory Committee

Okay. For quite some time, Mr. Speaker. I’m assuming now that we’re going back into previous governments here and I will not hold this Minister accountable there, but I would like to ask why this government has not acted to create or engage this committee and get some creative work coming out of it. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 561-15(3): NWT Affirmative Action Advisory Committee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the work we’re undertaking now around human resource service centres and the work tied to that around preparing ourselves for bringing forward a paper for two Members, we feel that through that avenue, we could address how we would engage further activities or would we still feel that this is a satisfactory avenue to use. We would be addressing that through that process. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 561-15(3): NWT Affirmative Action Advisory Committee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This committee, according to the policy, means that it can be composed of nominees from unions, native organizations and special interest groups that provide interest to the then Minister of Personnel. Now, the Minister already has a mandate to create an advisory group and I would like to know, even though there is this forthcoming process, it sounds like this committee could make a potentially valuable contribution. Would the Minister be considering whether or not he will actually engage what is already a mandate on the books for him? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 561-15(3): NWT Affirmative Action Advisory Committee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I had stated earlier, with the work we are undertaking now to bring forward a document for Members to review, at that point I would take that into consideration. At the present time, I think we need to do the work we are. We understand there are problems and we’re working to try to improve on that, but I’d like to bring the next piece of the work to Members from that point, then look at what we might do or not do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 561-15(3): NWT Affirmative Action Advisory Committee

Mr. Speaker, the Minister had earlier indicated that this committee had not been active for some time. The policy was created in 1989. I’m wondering if he is able to advise just how long a life this committee had. Thank you very much.