Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During our last session I went on the record concerning morale in the public service. After receiving the Main Estimates yesterday, it's clear that 231 positions have been targeted for reduction. Fortunately only 147 of these will result in potential job loss, as 84 are currently vacant. Although 147 affected employees is definitely better than 231, it's still far from appropriate, and it's bad for the public service.
Staff of the GNWT are our most valuable resource. They're the people who provide the essential services to our residents in the Northwest Territories. Without a happy and motivated public service, we fail in the delivery of the essential services we are expected to deliver as a government.
These job cuts do nothing but radically reduce already poor morale. Further, this job-cutting exercise is seen as only the first round of cuts. Whether or not a second round of cuts is coming, it does cause uncertainty within the public service, which currently affects morale and the quality of the services provided by our dedicated yet nervous and apprehensive staff.
As I indicated previously, I believe focusing on job cuts is exactly the wrong way to pursue the course of direction with respect to the government's spending patterns.
The public and the Members on this side of the House have offered Cabinet many suggestions on ways to improve our financial situation without cutting staff: things like reviewing and improving our energy use and consumption within the government itself, restructuring boards and agencies and increasing cooperation between departments in order to reduce duplicate spending.
During the last session I and my colleagues on this side of the House strongly encouraged the Premier and Cabinet to make every reasonable effort to reduce our overall spending through streamlining, as well as creative and innovative thinking and planning. After looking at the Main Estimates last night, it appears to me that our encouragement to find reductions other than through cuts has largely been ignored. Don't get me wrong. Upon review, it's clear that one or two of the departments were more creative and did find alternative savings without jobs cuts; however, the vast majority appear to have gone directly into job cuts themselves.
I am a realist. I know that this restructuring exercise will result in a few — and I stress, a few — job cuts. However, as I indicated previously, these job cuts should be the last resort. They shouldn't be the government's first solution to our financial difficulty. I’m disappointed that Cabinet has pursued this course of action, as I believe they're setting us up to relive the mistakes of 1996 government cuts.
To avoid repeating these same mistakes, I encourage Cabinet to listen to the Regular Members, your colleagues, and reconsider many of the job cuts you are proposing. We must support our most valuable resource: our dedicated and committed staff. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
