Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. What is the hiring process? What is involved in it? I understand that there may have been some changes, where there are some tests that are administered, whether it be, I don't know, writing essays, I'm not sure? How does that happen? I guess I've never had a government job, so I don't know. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I've also never had a government job until now, and my process was a bit unique. Perhaps this a conversation I can have with the Member not in this forum. I don't have hiring information in front of me; I only have the budgeting main estimates in front of me. It will depend on each job. Technical jobs will have very different hiring processes than a less technical job; there may well be exams for certain technical requirements, may well be essays, language testing, et cetera. So, it will vary quite a bit. I expect there may be some specific contests that the Member is most concerned about, and so it would make the most sense to me to have that conversation directly to ensure that I'm answering that question on whatever most relevant job it is that he's concerned with. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a comment now, and that's with respect to the P1. I think it's very important that, when we look at hiring P1s, you know, there's a reason why you have that in place. I had told one of my colleagues in the last two days, if you're an Indigenous or an Aboriginal person, a lot of times what happens is, even if you've got a lot of education and a lot of experience, it's overlooked. They'll say, well, we can't hire that person just because they're Aboriginal. Sometimes they don't actually look at what you have for qualifications, and I think it's important that we do that, and that we direct the hiring people to do that as well. Just a comment, thank you.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Finance, do you want to respond?
Madam Chair, challenges have been expressed. The hiring process that we have is meant to be one that is objective, that includes opportunities for objectivity in terms evaluating qualifications. The race to ensure that objectivity can make the process seem arduous, so I understand that there are some frustrations. I'm alive to it. I appreciate getting the comments from the Member. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Further questions on the human resources activity in the Department of Finance? Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just looking, related to the budget here, under management and recruitment services, there is the strategic human resources. The main estimates this year, compared to the main estimates last year, are very, very similar. There's not much change in there. We talk a lot about investing into getting more staff. I know that those things may come later, with our priorities, but one of the things that I want to know is, in the strategic human resource section, when you break down that budget, it talks about the 20/20: A Brilliant North, NWT Public Service Strategic Plan. We have the Affirmative Action Plan, we've got the 20/20: A Brilliant North, and that one was done in 2009. It's a 10-year plan about fixing the foundation and using the Affirmative Action Policy.
My question is: with the budget that we have here, and knowing that this action plan is over, and we haven't brought up any of our stats, and looking if we look back at our history of bringing up Indigenous managers, I think some of the areas in the different departments were falling behind. I'm just going to ask the Minister: if that strategic human resource, which provides a lot of the support to new managers, or providing support to training on the job to new managers, getting Indigenous people to move along in the workforce, if that's effective? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member is quite correct. There is not a large forced growth estimate in terms of the resources that are in strategic human resources, which doesn't speak to the work that's ongoing in that department to ensure that we are achieving the goals of a representative workforce. Between April 1st and December 31st, for example, 357 courses were being delivered online and in-person, so there is a lot of effort going on there. There's a long list of different programs that are administered at the GNWT.
I do know, Madam Chair, that, if you compare the actuals, some of the programs aren't being utilized with as much uptake as is available. They have more capacity to take more people in and to provide, in fact, more services than what are being availed of. That is one opportunity. I do recognize that exists, that if we have these programs, that we have to make sure they are being adequately utilized, whether that's a communications need or whether it's making sure that the eligibility for getting into those programs is properly attuned. I remain hopeful that with that greater uptake, with being conscious of the uptake of the programs, and with continuing to develop the training programs that are available, that we will be moving forward in a positive direction. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Would you be able to elaborate on some of the reasons why, and I know I'll probably hear it, because we are bad communicators, but can the Minister explain why the uptake of these programs are not being utilized? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister.
Madam Chair, I think all I can say to the Member at this point is that that question has already been asked, and I will commit to get back when we have a more fulsome response. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Just one last question. The only reason that I am highlighting this is because it was quoted in the strategic human resource line item that falls in this report. I'm just wondering if there is a review of that report that came about, because it is past the 10 years, and it was a 10-year action plan. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Not that I am aware of. I can certainly commit to finding out, and depending on the answer to that, of course, it may lead me to more questions in due course. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Are there any further questions on human resources key activity in the Department of Finance? Seeing none, I am going to call the page. Finance, human resources, operations expenditure summary, 2020-2021 Main Estimates, program detail, $21,840,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. The next key activity is Information Systems Shared Services, beginning on page 144. Are there questions on this key activity? Questions on key activity Information Systems Shared Services, starting on page 144. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. One of my issues in going through these main estimates is that there is essentially a lack of detail in all of them, and I don't want to ask the department and the Minister to break down every single item. One of the issues that I have found previously is that contract services can include everything from photocopiers to some payment of some consultant. Can I get a breakdown of what the $2,600,000 in Information Systems Shared Services contract services is?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Finance.
Madam Chair, thank you, and I certainly can commit to providing that to the Member. Yes, Madam Chair, I am going to have to commit to providing it to the Member. I have some information in front of me, and frankly, it involves acronyms that I think I would rather just make that commitment.
Thank you for that commitment, Minister of Finance. Member for Yellowknife North.
No more questions, Madam Chair. I will take that as a commitment. I believe that I will have questions on that after being provided the breakdown.
Thank you. Are there any further questions on Information Systems Shared Services? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. The activity description includes the words CRTC a couple of times, or the acronym. What do we actually do with regard to the CRTC, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. On this occasion, I have the benefit of Mr. Kalgutkar here, who does support some of that work, so I am going to have him answer that question.
Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister Kalgutkar.
Thank you, Madam Chair. What this division does when there is a CRTC hearing in the Northwest Territories, or even elsewhere in Canada, that could impact the level of service in the territory, we do participate as an intervener in those hearings. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Kalgutkar. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I sat on City Council, and City Council would spend money on this, too. What kinds of things are we actually advocating there, at the CRTC? We seem to pay the highest phone and internet rates in the world in the Northwest Territories, and I am just wondering what kind of things we actually are advocating for there. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister.
Madam Chair, thank you. I can certainly, on one hand, assure the Member that one of the things that we are doing is advocating to improve funding to the partners that would be delivering on last mile connectivity, and if I might just then see if there's anything further that the deputy minister wishes to add in addition to that?
Thank you, Minister. I would call on the deputy minister and ask him if he could speak up, please.
Thank you, Madam Chair. One of the things that we do want to protect as, part of the CRTC hearings, many of the large telecommunications providers in the South provide funds into a fund that allows the territorial service providers to draw on to improve their capital, and that allows our telecommunication infrastructure to stay fairly current and also helps us reducing the rates, because without that support for that funding, then, obviously, we don't have the client base to support that capital on its own. The residents would see a significant increase in their telecommunication rates if they didn't have that support from that fund. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I am not going to go on for too much longer. I am just trying to figure out how effective our efforts have been. I pay $150 a month for internet access, which is totally ridiculous, and we haven't connected, as the Minister says, the last mile. We have the Mackenzie Valley fibre link that runs by a whole bunch of communities that don't have access to even medium-speed Internet, let alone high-speed Internet. What else are we doing to try to make sure that we actually allow our citizens to take full advantage of the Mackenzie Valley fibre link? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister.
Madam Chair, the question is to how successful the Department of Finance is, and the GNWT more generally, in improving telecommunications. To properly answer that is a much longer answer than what, I think, the committee is looking for in the review of the mains. It is one of the commitments in the mandate to improve telecommunications connectivity. It is one that we will, therefore, have to be reporting back to this House on in terms of developing a plan to show that we are going to improve our connectivity. That will involve looking at a baseline of where we are now in order to measure where we get to in the future. I know there is work under way. The Department of Finance is already engaged on this issue, and I am hopeful that we will see progress so that we can come back and say that we have shown a measure of success. It's just a much longer and more complicated answer than what I can provide, other than to say that, in terms of the main estimates, we are moving forward, and we are prepared to start taking that action with the budget that is in front of the Members here today. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Can the Minister give us a clear commitment that she will bring that plan to the appropriate standing committee? It's something that I have been asking for about four years now. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.
We can make that commitment, Madam Chair. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Are there any further questions on Information Systems Shared Services? Seeing no further questions, Finance, Information Systems Shared Services, 2020-2021 Main Estimates, program detail, $22,932,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
