Debates of October 12, 2005 (day 8)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are directed to the Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board. Unlike other regions in the Northwest Territories having a special relationship with the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Tlicho Community Services Agency, under the new Tlicho Government, has the responsibility of education and health and social services to deliver the special services outlined in this document or agreement. It’s called the Intergovernmental Services Agreement. It denotes in the appendices our respective roles. So my question to the Minister is, will the Minister assure us that in matters related to his department he will respect the integrity of roles and working relationships as spelled out in the Intergovernmental Services Agreement? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to this government’s role in working with the Tlicho Government in fulfilling our agreement, we are committed to that process, and we will follow through with what we can to ensure that there’s a smooth transition or qualify that with what we can in perspective of how we deal with all our other employees within the government as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The chiefs in the Tlicho Government recently requested that early childhood programs previously run by First Nations government be turned over to an agency that runs early childhood programs and has highlighted responsibilities for the region. This is a good decision. It reduces duplication, facilitates integration and improves efficiency. However, Mr. Speaker, the Financial Management Board Secretariat and the Government of the Northwest Territories have erected barriers to such arrangements with recent requirements that all agency employees, with the exception of our chief executive officer, be GNWT public servants. This decision also blocks our ability to easily hire our traditional elders and other workers on a project basis, something we used to do before, Mr. Speaker, with this recent requirement with the full agreement of the GNWT. My question to the Minister is, will the Minister work with us to develop some kind of mechanism that provides more flexibility, facilitates service integration and avoids us having to build a large, costly bureaucracy which we cannot afford? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the area of human resources and how we deal with boards and agencies, and in this situation now with the Tlicho Government and the arrangement that they’re looking to make, is something that is not new to us. We have, on a number of occasions in the past as a government, tried to work with the boards out there that had hired staff outside the public service. That became an issue when we looked at our union agreements and how we operate as a government, and we had to make some changes in that area. So our hand has had to be changed in how we looked at dealing with boards and agencies and their ability to hire outside of the public service or the unions. That has been an area that we’ve had to address. We will look at this again to see what options might be out there, but that is a difficult situation; and until we get to a situation where we transfer all of the employees out of the public service or in that area, that might open that door, but that is somewhat in the future as the Tlicho Government takes on the programs and service delivery from this government. That may open that door, but at this time we’re still delivering the program as a government, and through the arrangements that we have, that would continue to create a problematic area, as the Member has pointed out. So I’m willing to sit down with the Member to try to get a bit more detail on this to see what can be done, but from our past experience it’s a very narrow bridge that we have to cross in how we deal with this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Given the issues that have already cropped up around the interpretation of the Intergovernmental Services Agreement, it is clear that the ISA by itself is not specific enough to meet our respective needs, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister work with the Tlicho Government and community service agency to establish a political accord that will ensure the integrity of the roles as outlined in the Intergovernmental Services Agreement, allow us the flexibility to hire staff, to hire our traditional elders, and also to provide a framework for the day-to-day delivery of services? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, as I committed to, I’ll gladly sit down with the Member and those parties interested in trying to see what arrangements we can work out. Again, qualified with the fact that we have our own limitations that we have to operate within, and that will affect the outcome of that. But as I said earlier, I’ll be happy to sit down with the Member to get some more of the detail and try to find some of the areas where there are concerns. When it comes to the Intergovernmental Services Agreement that’s in place, or the ISA, as the Member has spoken to, I’d have to work with a number of the other departments within this government to get an interpretation and find out where we are with some of the discussions that have been ongoing. Thank you.