Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Minister Kakfwi.

Twenty-sever casual positions.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Mr. Ootes.

Could the Minister tell us the number of employees that did not apply for positions? Has the Minister looked into the reasons why there are so many vacancies and why individuals are not applying for the positions?

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are getting into the detail that is available on page 26. The reason the number of vacancies is so high is because we froze hiring in the three departments last March, when the amalgamation of the three departments was announced. We have also reserved first opportunity for affected employees of which there are 163 in the three departments. There were 163 employees who were affected as a result of the amalgamation. There are 163 people whose job was going to be changed a little bit or whose job was no longer going to be in existence, who were given first opportunity to apply for similar jobs or a new job within the department. Clerical staff, for instance, some positions were eliminated but new ones were created, but they were still defined as a different job. We had to go through a process of allowing people to apply for them. We held those within the department. Many of them were resolved without any difficulty. Some 52 employees of the 163 chose voluntary layoff. While we are holding a number of positions for them to apply for in the hopes that most of them will fill these new positions, 52 of them chose not to. That is what created the abnormally high number of vacancies.

Thank you, Minister Kakfwi. I am on page 11-10, corporate management, operations and maintenance. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Minister Kakfwi.

Mr. Chairman, I know a number of employees have decided to retire. A number of employees have decided they are not interested in working in a new department. They have found jobs in other parts of the country, have decided it is time for a change and decided to move on. There have been no involuntary layoffs within the department. People have seen the layoff package offer and decided it is something they are interested in and decided to take it. I know there were a couple of biologists that have said, based on principle, they have chosen not to apply for new positions or recriminent positions in the new department. Those are the only reasons that I can give to the Member at this time. If there was some way we could do a more measured survey of the reasons why people come and go, I would be prepared to see if we could put something together for Members, if there is substantial interest in it. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Kakfwi. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Minister Kakfwi.

Mr. Chairman, as someone who goes through an election a number of times in my life, I know how stressful it is when you are not sure if you have a job or a role to play. I have always been very sympathetic to employees when there is an exercise of amalgamation or budget reductions or downsizing. It causes havoc to the morale of staff. Staff feel their contribution to the government is substantial and believe in their work and are totally committed to it. When we come along and cut $10 to $20 million from our budgets and we lay off staff and we do it over a period of months, it is very difficult for staff. I have no doubt in my mind of the 52 that have taken voluntary layoff, some of them may very well not have taken well with the suggestions their worth is not totally appreciated by this government. Their contribution is being questioned. We think there are better ways of doing the jobs they think they have being doing very well for us in the last few years. Yes, it is probably a contributing factor. How much and to what degree in each individual case, I do not think we will ever know. I can readily acknowledge it has probably been a contributing factor in the decision of some of our staff to take voluntary leave. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Kakfwi. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Minister Kakfwi.

Mr. Chairman, we have some information here, but I am not certain I could give the detail the Member requests. Perhaps when we go through the actual positions in headquarters, active positions, listed in a page further down in the main estimates. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Kakfwi. I believe it would be more appropriate to address those types of questions to that section of the department's budget. Mr. Henry, do you have any further questions?

Thank you, Mr. Henry. Minister Kakfwi.

Thank you. It will require a little more time to give a detailed response to it, but I know the whole parks sector of the budget is still there. We are putting money into enhancing parks for the purpose of enhancing our facilities for tourists. Throughout the north, we have continued to contribute a substantial amount of money to the tourism associations, the one in the east and the one in the west, in working with them to make sure they are able to make maximum use of the available dollars and resources and support we can lend them to enhance the north for the purpose of tourism. As well, you should note the entire original staff of Renewable Resources, namely the wildlife officers, are now mandated and requested to take on a greater role in dealing with tourists. They are not just enforcement officers, not just officers dealing with trappers and hunters and HTAs. They are, in many ways, our front line in dealing with visiting tourists and enhancing our ability to relate to the tourist at the ground level, at the community level. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Kakfwi. I have one more question from Mr. Henry.