Robert Hawkins

I find it interesting that the Minister has, on a number of occasions, highlighted the fact that not just his department but a number of departments don’t fund positions at 100 per cent. That may be an extremely clever accounting process. I recognize that — I think he said earlier — we have a 14.2 per cent turnover. That may be the theoretic approach to not implementing full salary in the department, knowing very well that they’ll never use it. But yet, it does bring in the question about whether that’s a proper formula process.

I know the clock’s ticking now, so I’m going to squeeze two...

Mr. Chairman, I’ve said at least a couple of times that I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep, but I’m really curious on the creative accounting: how you could reduce $1.5 million from a non-existing budget. I’m not that tired.

Maybe we could work with it this way: with the historical figure that we’ve been spending for this locum budget over the last two years — because you would have had to take $1.5 million from somewhere, and how can you tell me that’s a reduction…? So you must have some estimate or be able to frame it up as an eligible cost you’ve been budgeting toward.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Other Members have started into areas I’d like to pick up on where I had questions as well. Maybe I’ll just work backwards. It sounds like we had the same organization showing up all at our similar constituency meetings. They showed up at mine last night, by the way, in force. Just for clarity, I think the Minister had mentioned, to some degree, there was a reduction in locum nurses and the funding being allocated for that program.

Now, I thought he said something to the effect that there’s been a $1.5 million reduction. If that’s correct, what is the total budget that...

Mr. Chairman, in this section, you do supports for human resources planning and employee recognition. I’m wondering how much work has been done in this section to date. I don’t want to go back to its fruition or over the last 20 years, but how much work is being done to identify employees who are in the twilight of their career? When I describe it that way, let’s make the assumption that they’re a short couple of years away from retiring, so that’s the type of people I refer to as “twilight.” How much work under the resource planning area are you doing to recognize that type of staff and that...

Mr. Chairman, I take the Minister’s numbers when he cited that in ten years we’ll have 40 per cent of our workforce retire. That’s approximately 1,920 employees. That causes you to wonder if we need to do 135 layoffs, although I know that the number is being significantly reduced through drives. Of course, I’ll recognize that. That was my issue earlier, which I never really got an answer to. I wanted to know how they’ve identified how many people are retiring in that bracket. So that said, it’s odd we can come up with a number now but couldn’t earlier.

Mr. Chairman, I’m trying to get a sense of...

I guess what I am getting at is the fact that you define a position by looking at dollar value and make an assumption that because it is an assistant position, maybe it’s not that important. And they ask themselves — well, whatever they probably do. And when I say “whatever,” I assume you know what they do.

I’m just saying I’m sure we could divide these up and make people pick up those duties, versus an analysis, which, in my interpretation, would be where they actually break down what this person specifically does and then try to put some time allocations behind it before they then saddle...

Thank you. Would this also be a section that works on strategies to come up with new ways to reinvigorate our public service under the theme of Employer of Choice?

Mr. Chairman, on page 2-63 of the Compensation and Benefits section we recognize that one position has been deleted. My first question on this specific area is: what position has been deleted? Furthermore, what analysis was done to come down to the fact that this position has been deleted, and was it filled at the time that the decision was made to delete it?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page 2-66, under Employer of Choice, we see detail that breaks out quite a bit further, which is fine. My question really is about staff retention. I’d like to know what the employer of choice, in the section about staff retention…. What do they produce, or what do they propose to maintain — or I should say retain? — staff?

I’ve just heard a perfect explanation of nothing-itis. I mean, it’s a lot of talk, but no results on this file. If somebody owed me this type of money — and I’m not saying $100 million — I’d be calling every day. The fact is, it has been over nine years that this file continues to be a problem.

What message does Cabinet need to get through their head? The fact is: stop providing the services they refuse to pay for. Has the Department of Health ever taken a serious look at this file by saying maybe we should stop providing these services; get DIAND to provide the services, and the territorial...