Debates of May 31, 2006 (day 2)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) My previous statement regarding payment to elders, I would like to ask a question. Can they make some kind of arrangement with community services with the new government? There is a lot of concern regarding this from the elders. (Translation ends)

…trip worth for many years negotiating an agreement because they knew that it was self-government. We could do a better job of serving our people than the GNWT or DIAND. We did not go to all this trouble only to have GNWT bureaucracy imposed on us. This is a question to the Minister of the Financial Management Board Secretariat. In light of this government’s position on the value of traditional knowledge as passed by my elders, will the Minister commit to making whatever policy changes or arrangements that are necessary to allow the Tlicho Community Services Agency to pay elders for their services within a day? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Return To Question 10-15(5): Compensation Policies For Elders Providing Services To Government

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue has arisen as a result of the payroll systems being amalgamated where we would use one system of pay. Previously, boards and agencies outside our system or who had their own systems would cut off-cycle cheques. Since being requested to be incorporated in our payroll system, this issue has arisen. We have been working together with Education, trying to come up with another form of off-cycle cheques being issued. Part of the problem is that we need to try to shorten that timeline. Right now, they have fallen into the casual payroll system. To try to shorten that timeline, we would need the information from the Tlicho group or agency in advance of who would be paid, how many days they would be working and then we might be able to try to do something. So we are working on an avenue to try to bring that closer together. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 10-15(5): Compensation Policies For Elders Providing Services To Government

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in my previous Member’s statement, the Tlicho Community Services Agency is in a unique position. We are a new government since August 4th of last year. So we are different from any organizations here in the North and also throughout Canada. My next question leads on to…Can the Minister please clarify how he can continue to impose four to six-week delays on payments to the elders from the Tlicho Community Services Agency despite the clear wishes of the Tlicho Government that is consistent with the spirit and the letter of the Tlicho Agreement that was signed by three parties in the government service agreement, and, Mr. Speaker, in particular, section 3.2(a)? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 10-15(5): Compensation Policies For Elders Providing Services To Government

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the problem arises when we have an individual or, in this case, elders who would come to work for a school board or an agency and they would only come as and when, once every few weeks, once a month or maybe even less than that, depending on what information they were going to provide. That is a difficult portion because our systems right now, as we run our payroll system, do not adequately address that. That is an issue. We have been trying to work with Education around this area to accommodate the request. Part of the problem, as we work our system and try to be more accountable with how we pay individuals, is that if somebody comes in and works for half a day and not a full day, then we have to go back and try to recover that. It makes it very difficult. So they are trying to work on an issue of getting some advance notice of who would be coming in and what time they would come in, and then we could try to work around that issue. We are going to try to work and reduce the amount of time. I am not sure if we can get it right down to a one-day turnaround as was done in the past. We are working to try to reduce the time from less than six weeks. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 10-15(5): Compensation Policies For Elders Providing Services To Government

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering if the Minister or his department has looked into a contractual basis where they hire an elder on an as-needed basis and they can be paid within the next few days, as opposed to waiting four to six weeks. Can the Minister advise this House if they have looked at the option? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 10-15(5): Compensation Policies For Elders Providing Services To Government

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when we start branching into the area of contracts, that brings a whole new set of rules on its own. Part of the issue is that we had to go down this path of going onto one payroll system is that departments, boards and agencies had too many different systems out there causing a lot of grief for those that would get payroll and then have some changes that needed to be made. We had to go back after the fact. I think there is an opportunity here. If we can work out an arrangement with the Tlicho agency on the timing of when individuals come in, if we had advance notice of when individuals come in, who they are, and how long they would be there for, we could then be prepared to try to accommodate that and shorten the time frame to possibly a week or less. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 10-15(5): Compensation Policies For Elders Providing Services To Government

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my final question to the Minister is, I am just wondering if the Minister can meet with the Tlicho Community Services Agency and come up with a possible solution to this whole ordeal, possibly setting up a petty cash agreement where we hire elders on an as-needed basis so we have petty cash on hand. We hire elders at times here and there for cultural events. So I am just wondering if the Minister can meet with the Tlicho Community Services Agency and set up a system where we can pay elders possibly out of a petty cash fund that could be available to them. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 10-15(5): Compensation Policies For Elders Providing Services To Government

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of issues that would come up just sitting here thinking about it. So instead of getting into that detail in this forum and possibly making some errors in the response, what I would suggest is that I know there’s been ongoing discussions and we’ve had some meetings in the past, I will direct people from within our payroll systems to meet with the agency and try to come up with something that’s appropriate. Part of it could be, as I said, simply a matter of knowing in advance who is going to be working for what time period and that would help reduce that amount of waiting. Thank you.