Debates of May 17, 2007 (day 9)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Human Resources and it gets back to my Member’s statement from earlier where I mentioned again the fact that since 1999, the size of the public service has gone from 3,700 to over 5,500 employees. That’s 1,800 positions in seven years, Mr. Speaker. Four years of this government and reactionary position growth, four years of having no human resource plan, strategy or vision. Four years of no consideration of the impact self-government will have on our human resource needs going into the future. I have some why questions, Mr. Speaker. The first one is why, after four years, this government has not got a comprehensive human resource strategy. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Human Resources, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 110-15(6): Need For A Comprehensive GNWT Human Resource Strategy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would agree with the Member that the best practice would be for the government to have a corporate human resource plan. In fact, the department has prepared a broad, high level plan to take to deputies here within the next two months. So we are hoping to move forward with that.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 110-15(6): Need For A Comprehensive GNWT Human Resource Strategy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that. So I guess that’s an admission that for the past four years, we have just plodded along plugging positions in, reacting to certain things without a plan. That’s why we continue, like I said, through budget after budget, supp after supp, to approve new positions, because we do not have a plan and somebody on that side is responsible. Cabinet is responsible for the fact of the matter and that is we don’t have a plan. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for HR why there has been no work done specifically in the area of self-government and what that will mean for the future needs of our public service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 110-15(6): Need For A Comprehensive GNWT Human Resource Strategy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member says that we haven’t had any plans. In fact, when departments come forward through the business plan process to say here is what we need in order to implement the projects and the goals that the Legislative Assembly has set, that is some part of the plan for human resources. So each department has, up until now, been working at developing their own HR plan. The departments of Health and Social Services and FMBS have done detailed ones in concert with Human Resources and HR has made the offer to other departments to do more detailed ones with them. This Assembly is the oversight for position growth and each position that we have in the budget is approved by the Members of this Assembly in order to get the job done that they want to see done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 110-15(6): Need For A Comprehensive GNWT Human Resource Strategy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister brings up a good point and that is the departments are responsible for forwarding business plans with positions attached to these business plans. Mr. Speaker, therein lies the problem. There is no coordination. This leads to duplication and a lack of coordination. That’s why we scramble on big files like the pipeline, we scramble on other files. I would like to ask the Minister when are we going to have a comprehensive human resource plan for the Government of the Northwest Territories? When will that happen? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 110-15(6): Need For A Comprehensive GNWT Human Resource Strategy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said, both Health and Social Services and FMBS have those comprehensive plans now. An overall broad government plan can’t be comprehensive. It’s going to have to be the broad brush strokes, the high level plan, because you can’t say that all departments are going to work exactly the same way. So we want to set up some general criteria and say to the deputies, can your department work within this and then have each department work on their own detailed plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 110-15(6): Need For A Comprehensive GNWT Human Resource Strategy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One last question and it gets back to the fact that aboriginal governments are settling land claims in the Northwest Territories. They are proceeding through implementation of these claims. Mr. Speaker, you would think that the size of the public service for the Government of the Northwest Territories would be going down, not going up. I would like to ask the Minister specifically, and this is a specific question specifically on aboriginal self-government, what has the government done in the past four years that would show that it’s concerned at all about the impact self-government will have on our future human resource needs and how we can devolve positions to the regions? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 110-15(6): Need For A Comprehensive GNWT Human Resource Strategy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There has been extensive work done by human resources and FMBS over the past four years to look at this issue. It’s a topic that’s come up to the Cabinet table many times and we are working with the self-government negotiating teams at the tables to try to help them understand some of the issues surrounding taking over the positions. If a self-government entity is going to take on the delivery of a function, they are likely going to be looking at taking on the personnel. So we have been working on that and we have worked with the people at the table, both the federal government and self-government entities, to make sure people are aware of the issues that will arise.