Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. During my recent visit to Fort Resolution I discovered the community services officer position had been reduced to half time.
In the small communities, as I indicated many times in this House, we have very low employment rates. We cannot afford to give up even a half PY; especially a GNWT half PY, something that this government has direct control over.
I thought there was plenty of work for a community services officer in the small communities. The requirement for information is usually what holds up the income support payments. People in small communities that do not have job opportunities are often like that due to low literacy skills, and the community services officer in the small communities can do extra to help these citizens complete the required documentation.
Surely the Department of Education, Culture and Employment can find work for an individual in order to retain a full-time job in Fort Resolution. Part of the reason this government does not centralize positions used to be a lack of confidence in their own employees. In other words, the decision-making and too many things are held at a very high level and is a very centralized model.
Surely with the employment rates in small communities below 40 percent this government does not want to decrease employment. This government must do all it can to maintain any and all positions in the small communities. I, for one, cannot sit back and allow the government to reduce a single position in Tu Nedhe. This government must be creative and find meaningful work for the community services officer to do.
I know the transfer of public housing back to the local housing organization has left a bit of a vacancy in work, but surely we can find work to keep the community services officer employed full time. It is important to note that the transfer back of the Public Housing Program does not decrease the number of clients the community services officer is seeing and it’s only a slight decrease in the volume of work per client.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
