Thank you, Mr. Speaker. “Public Service. Public Focus.” is the motto of 20/20: A Brilliant North, the NWT Public Service Strategic Plan. Our ability to provide quality programs and services is clearly linked to recruiting and retaining talented staff who are committed to their professions, their communities and the people they serve. The public service is the face of the Government of the Northwest Territories.
20/20: A Brilliant North guides the ongoing development of the NWT public service, with the aim of making the GNWT an employer of choice. There are real advantages to working for the GNWT public service. We have competitive salaries and great benefits, including the public sector pensions. There is a great range of diversity of work and our staff have opportunities for career growth, development and advancement. Many staff have told us how much they appreciate our family-friendly work environment, including paid time off during the holidays.
Ultimately, the GNWT seeks to balance ongoing positive, constructive relations with our employees and their representative bargaining agents, with sound fiscal management and good governance.
20/20 includes a range of actions. The Department of Human Resources continues to make significant progress in fixing and sustaining the foundation for human resource services. We are improving pay and benefits processes and completing service partnership agreements that confirm roles and responsibilities of our staff and the clients that we serve. This is a very important initiative that is long overdue and is critical for strong corporate human resource management.
I am excited about promoting the GNWT as an inclusive workplace that recognizes and embraces diversity. This ensures that excellence, innovation and commitment form the basis of our service to the public. In early 2012 a new campaign will promote the GNWT as an inclusive workplace that embraces diversity, including the hiring and supporting of employees with disabilities. As well, the GNWT will be issuing a confidential survey to all employees late in January 2012 that will encourage employees with disabilities to anonymously self-identify. The government is also in the process of developing Aboriginal cultural awareness and diversity awareness training for the public service.
As is the case with governments across Canada, the GNWT has an aging workforce that needs to take steps to ensure succession planning within the public service, including:
the Associate Director/Superintendent Program that supports the development of Aboriginal employees into senior management positions within the public service;
developmental transfer assignments that provide employees with opportunities to develop on the job; and
formal education programs such as the Leadership Development Program.
These are just a few examples of the initiatives that support our public service and ensure we continue to have skilled, talented employees within the Government of the Northwest Territories. To this end, I look forward to working with the Members of the 17th Legislative Assembly as we support 20/20: A Brilliant North, the NWT Public Service Strategic Plan and the public service mission of providing excellent service to the people of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. David Ramsay.
