Mr. Speaker, this Legislature approves money to be directed specifically to human resources. In other words, we dedicate money specifically for jobs. The Northwest Territories as of December 31st, had an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent. We’ve heard that deputy ministers will move money that is intended for human resources over to projects because they want to fulfil their mandate within their department. My view is they are actually breaking direction laid out by the Legislature. In essence, it’s tantamount, in my view, of breaking the law.
My question to the Minister of Finance is: Will he review the books over the last five years and find every deputy minister who has approved and signed these off and fire them?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No.
I’d like to ask what the Finance Minister is going to do if we know that deputy ministers are signing off human resources money that is designed, protected and passed in this Legislature by a duly elected body when they go behind the scenes and re-appropriate the money for their pet projects. What is the Finance Minister going to do?
The Member is making very harsh, unfounded allegations of criminal wrongdoing, which is what he said, and asking that people be fired on the basis of the fact that for the last three days we’ve been sorting through vacancy rate numbers and he’s now convinced that there is a criminal wrongdoing, which would mean, since the deputies all report to Ministers, that there was some type of complicity or conspiracy.
Very clearly, this Legislature votes positions, when they are part of the budget process, to fulfil functions in government. Once those positions are in place and they are staffed or in the process of being staffed, then they become part of the working tools and process to meet the government’s and Legislature’s mandate.
Managing those vacancies is a legitimate government management tool that is used in every corporation, every business in the world. It is done properly. There are checks and balances in place.
There are questions about some of the numbers. The Member is throwing around big numbers and big accusations when the reality is we will be able to lay out adequately, I believe, where all the positions are and we are very cognizant of our responsibilities. We have accountabilities for transfers of funds over $250,000 between activities, interactivity transfers that we have to report to this House every session. We are accountable as Ministers every day that we are in this House and every day that we have the authority as Ministers for what’s happening in our departments.
To accuse senior officials of such conduct and criminal wrongdoing with absolutely no evidence I think really doesn’t add to the tenure of the debate in this House. Thank you.
The department agencies can manage their vacancies and variances by meeting their goals, delivering their programs and services while staying within their budgets. So, what that’s saying is departments can manage their money by turning around and moving human resource money over to program money. I can tell you, the Finance Minister has witnessed a claim made by senior management where they’ve chosen to use HR money for program needs.
What is the Finance Minister going to do, after I’ve just heard his last response from the last question when he sat and heard the proof, because he was there with me. Thank you.
We have collectively approved in this House every budget that comes before it that runs the Government of the Northwest Territories. This is my 19th year, so I’ve been through the budget cycle 19 times. I believe my colleague has been through that cycle 10 times. This issue of vacancies has come up periodically about what’s happening, what’s the vacancy rate and what are we doing to fill them, all legitimate questions. The Member now has taken it to another level where he’s implying that there’s some kind of conspiracy and planned wrongdoing here, and there isn’t, Mr. Speaker.
We have numbers here that we are going to be sharing with committee, that they’ve asked for, that provide the amount of detail that lay out the work that’s been done. Let me say once again, as well that managing 5,000 employees is a big job, there are management issues and they are a key resource and we need to manage all those resources, full or vacant, to carry out the work that’s necessary. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, it begs the question why do we even approve any budget if we know this? There are 571 vacancies the government is actively pursuing, but we can only find 100 on-line. We know, at the end of the day, no matter what we approved as the budget, the deputy ministers can go do an end run and move the money over to projects they want. So the reality is when the Legislature makes the decision, it just seems to be a waste of anyone’s time, including Cabinet and certainly the public. With jobs being denied to Northerners, this just doesn’t sit well.
Explain why we’re here if the deputy ministers can go change the budget at their will beyond the Legislature’s approval. Thank you.
I would ask the Member to give one shred of evidence about pet projects, about the allegations he’s making. He says, why are we even here? We’re approving a $1.6 billion budget that provides services to every man, woman and child in the Northwest Territories. That’s why we’re here. We’re here to make laws that are going to benefit our people. We’re here to provide direction and oversight of a very complex organization.
The Member has some questions and concerns about positions. We have over 5,000 jobs. He’s talking about a few hundred vacancies, which we will lay out in detail as to where they are. I think his Hyperbolus statements, once again, don’t add to the tenure of the debate and they cause confusion in the public, and his draconian request for human sacrifice based on his state of high dudgeon is not helpful. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
