Debates of October 30, 2006 (day 18)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Honourable Floyd Roland, Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, it was almost 18 years ago that I was involved as a part of a lobby along with the Hay River Reserve and many others who felt it necessary that we have a residential treatment program for drug and alcohol addictions in the Northwest Territories. You can imagine how pleased we were when this government decided to invest the money in capital and to build a treatment centre on the Hay River Reserve. That facility has been operating for the last 13 years, but, as you can see by the presence of the employees here in the gallery today, they aren’t at work because they have been locked out of their workplace and the valuable work that they do there.

The workers and the treatment centre helps residents from right across the Northwest Territories and there are many success stories to be told. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister what he can do in this regard. I know there has been correspondence that has gone to employer and to the union. The Minister has said that he hopes they can get back to the table. Is that the extent of what we can do, and what influence we have as a government on this situation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 215-15(5): Disruption Of Service At Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is the first stage we are at with the situation that is happening on the reserve, is to encourage both parties to get back to the negotiation table and bring a successful conclusion to this process. Thank you.

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

Supplementary To Question 215-15(5): Disruption Of Service At Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that time is of the essence. We have our residents who are now having to receive treatment in Alberta. Also we have 22 people who are out of work. Mr. Speaker, this is a third-party contract, but it is this government’s contract. It is taxpayers’ money that is paying for this contract to receive these services. I would like to ask the Minister, is there adequate funding being provided to this third party to perform this contract that would see these employees paid on a wage and benefit parity with other similar workers in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 215-15(5): Disruption Of Service At Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services' budget was prepared with the allocations available and the forced growth that was agreed to in a previous budget cycle for this fiscal year. For the upcoming fiscal year, I have not been provided any details if there are any changes to that. Of course, when you are speaking from one union to another, the comparability of benefits can be quite significantly different and that’s something that always has to be taken into consideration when we enter into these discussions. Thank you.

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

Supplementary To Question 215-15(5): Disruption Of Service At Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister mentioned forced growth. Forced growth often relates to increases in salaries and benefits for workers in the public service. I would like to ask the Minister when he talks about the increase in the amount of the contract to address forced growth, does that forced growth include incremental increases for the workers at the Nats’ejee K’eh? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 215-15(5): Disruption Of Service At Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the process we have entered into for organizations that deliver programs outside of our own staffing situation, there is a process that is used by each department that would look at the services being delivered and if they fit our definition of forced growth and if they would be included, that’s department by department. I am not clear as to the process that was just implemented, if in fact they would fall into it. I know, for example, there was no inclusion for higher wages at this point because there was no agreement in place. Thank you.

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

Supplementary To Question 215-15(5): Disruption Of Service At Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if there are any other third-party contracts similar to this that would see the employment of unionized workers where they would actually have been without a contract for three and a half years. This seems like a long time and I would imagine it is fairly unprecedented. Also, would the Minister be prepared to table a copy of the contract with the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Board in this House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 215-15(5): Disruption Of Service At Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of any situation where we’ve had a group of employees working that are represented by a union that does not have an agreement in place. I don’t have any of that information available. As for the tabling of the contract, I would have to work with the department to see if we could do that. So I will have a look at it, but I can’t make that commitment at this point.