Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With regard to the amalgamation of the Personnel Secretariat into other areas, is there an overall plan in place to have these Personnel functions done in other areas?

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for being so brief and saving a lot of time for us to ask more questions. I would like to know when the ordinary MLAs are going to see this overall plan, because we've heard lots about it but we still haven't seen it.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The plan to amalgamate the Personnel Secretariat into the Department of the Executive; the principles of that plan are recruitment will be the responsibility of the departments, boards and agencies of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Recruitment will be carried out in accordance with established guidelines, procedures and policies of this government. The Personnel Secretariat will establish and distribute appropriate guidelines and procedures, the Public Services Act and regulations, the affirmative action policy, the official languages policy and guidelines, and the human resource manual will also govern the manner in which staffing is conducted. The secretariat will conduct regular audits of the departments' staffing activities that will be frequent at first. Annual audits should be significant after the first year of delegation. Audits are intended to determine compliance with established procedures. Audit results will be provided to the deputy ministers and will contain recommendations to correct procedural deficiencies. Any complaints will be investigated. The secretariat will also be available to investigate specific staffing complaints when necessary. For example, there is no appeal mechanism when a position is excluded from the UNW bargaining unit, and Ministers regularly receive enquiries from fellow MLAs as well as from constituents. So we would investigate those complaints.

The Personnel Secretariat will provide specialized training to department staff at both headquarters and the regions for the first year or two. Departments will then recruit their own staffing in a normal manner. Training and support for selection committee members will continue to be provided on an ongoing basis, Mr. Speaker.

During the transition period, the Secretariat will continue to provide recruitment services until the Minister of Finance delegates authority to the individual deputy ministers. Those deputy ministers will then be held accountable.

The secretariat will provide support and assistance to departments, when requested, during the transition period. This includes coordinating summer student employment, casual employment, assistant and senior management, Hay

Plan recruitment activities, maintenance of staffing priority lists, and also for laid-off employees.

Beginning immediately, training will be provided to the department staff which will enable individual departments to conduct recruitment activities. Training will include group sessions and short internship. While in completion of the training program, departments will assume full staffing responsibility.

The Personnel Secretariat will continue to be available to departments on a consultative and advisory basis, should the need arise. As departments' training needs are met, staffing authority will be delegated by administered departments. Departments will then be fully accountable for their staff decisions, rather than sharing the accountability with Personnel.

It is intended to sunset the four positions as the need for training and assistance is reduced, no later than the end of this government's term of office. We will sunset all the other positions in Personnel and then the departments will have full responsibility.

Departmental staff have received practitioner training. The Personnel Secretariat will continue to provide a recruitment service. However, departments can expect to be more involved than they have in the past. These recruitment actions will be used as a training session and will facilitate a smooth transfer of the authority, Mr. Speaker.

Departments will assume full responsibility for casual employment. Applications for casual work will apply directly to individual departments for employment. Similarly, summer students will also apply directly to departments for summer employment opportunities.

The secretariat will play a coordinating role for student and casual employment by referring candidates to the departments and meeting with individuals to discuss employment. As well, Mr. Speaker, compliance with the policy and procedures, the secretariat will review all staffing appeal decisions to determine if departments have misapplied policies or failed to follow established procedures. Corrective action will then be recommended, Mr. Speaker. Complaints that cannot be addressed through the appeals process will be investigated by the Personnel Secretariat. Appropriate reports and recommendations will then be prepared.

The Minister of Finance who is responsible...

Mr. Morin, I believe you did answer the question. Thanks. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Erasmus, supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually, he didn't answer my question, but I'm glad he had lots of water there to keep his throat a little bit wet. What I wanted to know...

Excuse me. Please be seated. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad the Minister finally is explaining how the process will work. Is it possible we could get some kind of a briefing, as the ordinary MLAs haven't had any type of briefing. Some of us have a hard time understanding things if it is just read to us. It would be nice to have a nice little briefing with those nice little coloured pictures the staff makes, so we could really understand how things are going to be coordinated. Is this a possibility? I know we will be having a few days of Caucus after the session is over.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would be pleased to do that with Caucus. I will set it up and send a letter around, I will work with the chairman of Caucus and share the information with you. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ootes.

Thank you. Premier, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my understanding that departments have, in the past, always done their own work in communications. There was never a central agency or central press office. So those things will continue to happen. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to Opening Address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12,

reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motions for first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of bills. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 14, Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 3, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Thank you. Your motion is in order. To the motion.

Question.

Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

--- Carried

Bill 14 has had first reading. Item 17, first reading of bills. Item 18, second reading of bills. Mr. Ng.

Thank you. Your motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.