Debates of February 3, 2017 (day 47)

Date
February
3
2017
Session
18th Assembly, 2nd Session
Day
47
Members Present
Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Blake, Hon. Caroline Cochrane, Ms. Green, Hon. Jackson Lafferty, Hon. Bob McLeod, Hon. Robert McLeod, Mr. McNeely, Hon. Alfred Moses, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Nakimayak, Mr. O’Reilly, Hon. Wally Schumann, Hon. Louis Sebert, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Testart, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Vanthuyne
Topics
Statements

Question 505-18(2): PeopleSoft Public Service Human Resource Reports

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister of Human Resources a couple of questions on the PeopleSoft report. I'd like to ask the Minister if the Minister can provide the latest full PeopleSoft report to committee? Thank you.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Masi. Minister of Human Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Human Resources, we do have a number of reports that we can access through PeopleSoft. I can work with the Member opposite and see exactly what his requirement is for a report, and I can work with the department to see if we can pull that information together for committee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm not expecting the Minister to maybe give me a definite answer in this, but if I recall the PeopleSoft reports did not identify unfunded positions, so the PeopleSoft report was essentially generated from the main estimates. I'd like to ask the Minister, while providing the PeopleSoft report, if the Minister could also provide a quick one-pager, or whatever it takes, to identify any positions that are not funded in the main estimates.

Again, as I said before, I will work with the Member opposite and we'll come up with exactly what the committee is looking for and then we will work with the department to put the information together to provide for committee. Through the PeopleSoft, as I said before, we can produce a number of reports and find out exactly what the committee is looking for, and I'm sure I'll have that conversation with the Member. We will pull the information together and provide it to committee.

Another interesting dynamic about the PeopleSoft report, as I said, essentially it's generated from the main estimates. There is something that is not in report that I would like to also request the Minister to provide, and that is the amount of casuals who we have in the GNWT, long-term casuals. Perhaps any casuals who have been on longer than six months. I'm not referring to casuals where they work for a very short period of time and don’t come back, but I am referring to casuals who meet the requirements to a certain degree and then get some break and then get back on, and I believe that there are many casuals who are in the system for a long period of time. So if in addition to PeopleSoft, which is generally something that's generated from the mains, if the Minister could the additional casuals that the GNWT has also?

Through some of the reports that do come out of the Department of Human Resources we've included some of them, I think, in the conversations we've had with committee. You know, we talk about the number of employees we have, the number of indeterminate employees we have, the number of casuals we have, which is, in the spirit of transparency, we have approximately 852 casuals within the government system right now. So those type of reports I think we've tried to make available. I think some of the information that the Member is looking for, committee is looking for, is in addition to what we already provide. So I've made the commitment before that I will work with the Member and try to provide all the information that they're looking for.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not really changing directions here. I'm trying to more or less talk about PeopleSoft, but at this point on April 1st there's going to be some changes to PeopleSoft as a result of any reductions that may be in the budget. I'd like to ask the Minister when there's reductions that the Minister refers to, and the number was given in here and I don’t want to get into the numbers things, but there was an interesting dynamic in there where indicated that many of those positions were not filled. I'd like to know if those positions were actually filled with casuals. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that level of detail I will have to work with the department and find exactly the information that the Member's looking for. So I do commit to working the Department of Human Resources and I will work in providing all the information committee is requesting. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.