Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today, I talked about having the courage to finally publicize some of these direct appointments. First of all, we don’t know how many there are and we don’t know who are getting them. Annually, the Legislative Assembly tables our public service report. We could table the names and positions of where these direct appointments were issued and directed. My question will go to the Premier of this Assembly who is in charge of Cabinet and could make this decision and show some political courage today and demonstrate some accountability.
Would he finally be willing to table annually the direct appointments that Cabinet makes in secrecy and show the Northerners, both the public service and Northerners, that these appointments aren’t being based on who you know and who you’re related to? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member gets his picture in the local rag and he thinks he’s a movie star. The answer is no.
That was an original answer, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure to even bother acknowledging it.
Why won’t the McLeod government show some courage for a change and say we’ll prove that these direct appointments were meaningful and appropriate and we can honestly measure them? Right now, there’s zero accountability on a single one of them.
Again to the Premier, would he do something different by showing the public he’s being accountable by annually tabling who got these jobs and which jobs they went to?
Direct appointments have been a management tool for this government ever since this government has been in place. On every occasion, a direct appointment is a benefit to the government and it is provided for through appropriate legislation and we will continue to use that practice.
The Member complains that we don’t have positions filled. We’re trying to fill positions and now he doesn’t want us to fill positions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the only question over here is asking about transparency. It’s not about stopping jobs. No one would stop that freight train. I’m telling you that if these appointments were truly worthy of the appointment, then the government shouldn’t hide beyond the veil of secrecy, behind the numbers of… We don’t know how many there are and who they’re appointing and who they may be related to. Nobody has any clue. It’s time we show a little courage, lead the nation with a little backbone. Nobody is talking about taking the authority away from Cabinet. We’re just talking about accountability of these secret appointments the government wants to make that nobody knows. Would the Premier show that courage and finally do it?
We don’t advertise our new hires either. Would his request extend to that as well? Perhaps I’ll leave it for the Hawkins government and the next Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Premier is offering to resign, we could take care of that today, honestly.
So, quite frankly, the question keeps being missed and the Premier can distract it with any joke or whatnot, but he is avoiding the true responsibility and accountability that is being called for by this House. This is the question yet again, and he can make all the jokes he wants but it doesn’t deter the facts of what the public sees.
Cabinet makes these secret appointments. Nobody knows how many they are making, nobody knows why they are being appointed and these people show up in these positions and nobody understands why, other than the fact that Cabinet makes these secret decisions; hundreds possibly, we don’t know.
So, I am asking the Premier once again, show some political courage, start tabling the names and what positions people are receiving in their types of positions and be proud of these appointments. Don’t hide and scurry from them. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, human resources, all of our employees are our most valuable asset and we are very proud of all of our employees. I have already answered his question and the answer is no. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
