My question is to the Premier, Jim Antoine.

1. Was the decision to decentralize personnel functions to the departments a cost-saving measure? How much is being spent annually for all human resources costs (staffing, advertising, et cetera) currently compared to what was spent prior to decentralization?

2. Is there evidence that the quality of service has improved since decentralization?

3. How many people were staffed in the Personnel Department prior to decentralization?

4. How many people are currently staffed in the area of human resources in each department?

5. Prior to decentralization, how many aboriginal senior staff were in the Personnel Department and in Financial Management Board Secretariat (FMBS)? How many senior human resources personnel in this government are non-aboriginal?

6. Since the decentralization of the Personnel Department, how many appeals have been filed annually? How many have been upheld?

7. What training has been provided to departmental human resources staff?

8. Have there been any government-wide professional development initiatives?

9. How is consistency of the staffing process being maintained across the GNWT?

10. Who is responsible to deal with individual complaints from the public or to respond to technical questions from human resources staff?

11. What are the current affirmative action statistics by position in each department? What were the affirmative action statistics prior to decentralization for each department?

12. Is there evidence that human resources services have improved to each department and the general public since decentralization?

13. Since the decentralization of Personnel, is there evidence that the relationship between the general public and the government has improved?

14. Is there any evidence that the departments and the general public view the staffing process as more positive now as compared to before decentralization?

15. Are staffing procedures consistent throughout the Government of the Northwest Territories?

16. Who has the authority to ensure staffing procedures are consistent among the departments?

17. Where can a person go if they want to file a complaint in relation to the staffing procedures for various departments?