Robert Hawkins

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...

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important issue to me, as the Minister knows. This is the second time I’ve raised this, and I want to stress this isn’t just important to me; it’s important to many employers in our city, as well as to our territory. I would ask the Minister that he take the commitment to communicate to the NWT Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, about his intention to move forward on this initiative. Therefore, if they want any feedback or concern, or at least just be included in the loop on this possible step by this department, I would encourage...

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the answer from the Minister, and I’m certainly glad to hear that the Yukon situation is now on our radar. I’m going to go in this direction with this problem, which is timing. Timing is an issue. I can speak of one business in particular that is closing, because they just cannot continue to work seven days a week without being able to find staff to work at their shop anymore. So timing is the issue.

Now that the Minister is aware of a possible framework program out there, will the Minister commit to working on this problem to see if we can get a person directed to...

I’d like to recognize Mr. Jim White. He’s the executive director of the Yellowknife Housing Authority here in Yellowknife and has come to a number of sessions. He does a good job down there.

Sorry to disappoint Mr. Abernethy, but I’d also like to recognize Mr. Blake Lyons as my constituent.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I only speak for myself in a context that's hypothetical, but I know that if I were the Minister of Human Resources, I would fight to get them on the books.

I would find it odd. I think we’re challenged, as Regular Members on this side, when we hear that you’re funding unestablished positions — in the formal context, when I call it that — and we’re not funding them properly. One could then beg to argue, “Well, if you can get by at a certain percentage short, why can’t everyone else get by?”

I just find it odd that these positions aren’t on the books, and I’d like to know...

I’ve been led to believe that a number of these positions have been left vacant for quite some time, as this is a funding principle or practice of this department. Could the Minister speak to that and offer some clarity?

I’ve been led to believe that a number of unfunded positions exist. Their titles may not be before me, if I could describe them as temporary positions, floating positions, you know, of that type of nature. I’ve been led to understand that some of the positions being kept unfilled; in other words, funded positions that are left vacant are being left on the books in order to fill those positions. Could the Minister provide some guidance and light on that observation?