Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd just like to follow-up my line of questioning with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I didn't quite get where I wanted to go with that. So from my earlier questions I gather that its positions that were identified as expendable in the last budget were identified and a determination was made that they're expendable by deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers with no consultation from anyone below. He said that it's based on the nature of the job, which is a job description, a piece of paper, if it's vacant or not so a checked box and an impact on services. I'm unclear, and I'd like the Minister to explain to me how a DM and an ADM sitting in Yellowknife knows what the impact on services is going to be in an office they've never been to when they're making decisions about personnel they've never met? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Senior management involves workers that we have throughout the Northwest Territories. There's consultations between the head office and the regional offices in terms of positions that are made.
As we said, we looked at entry level jobs to management jobs. We do have directors and senior managers in the regional offices, as well, that communicate with our head office staff. We look at positions throughout the whole Northwest Territories, so there is discussions. As I mentioned, given the confidentiality of the exercise in the reductions, they were conducted by those senior management, Mr. Speaker, and not just here, in Yellowknife. Thank you.
I'm still unclear of how that works, if because of privacy concerns they can't ask maybe the regional managers or the office managers, how things would operate without these certain positions. So, to determine how this all worked out, is there a baseline? Do they know what the level of service is before the cuts, and do they know what the level of service is after the cuts? I'm just trying to get my head wrapped around this whole process.
As mentioned in those three factors in terms of job reductions, the main was what that risks and impacts on program delivery was one of those three, and we want to make sure that programs are being delivered, can continue to be delivered within that division, and, in some cases, picked up by other members, other staff, that are working within that division or that department.
So, in the positions I'm talking about, the ECE cuts in Hay River, were other positions in that office reprofiled, or were duties given from the cut positions to other employees?
Yes, Mr. Speaker, duties from the reduction of that position were uptaken by the six other staff in that department. Thank you.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is there followup on how positions, how things are going now? Are the staff who are picking up the slack, do they feel as though things are running smooth? He doesn't have to talk specifically about this office, but does that discussion happen afterwards? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Any positions that were reduced within our department, we'll continue to follow up and monitor to see how that position that was reduced is affecting the program delivery as well as other staff in that area.
