Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Mr. Dent, supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to assume that if it is the Ministers collectively, then that flows up to the Premier, who would then, I hope, be ultimately responsible.

Mr. Speaker, in 1997, the Government Operations Committee recommended that the GNWT develop clear accountability measures across departments. That means government-wide. What measures has the government taken since then to implement standardized accountability measures that would hold Ministers and deputy ministers accountable in the area of human resource management?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Premier Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not aware of exactly what has been done. I do know that as the Premier I am concerned that there should be some overall coordination of how we hire staff and how we work to meet targets set.

For instance, if there is an agreement that there should be a certain percentage within management at the headquarters level of aboriginal people and women, at a senior management level, then we need some discussion with the Members of the Legislature and perhaps a committee to decide how to set targets and meet them. That is, a discussion on how measurable targets can be set.

I know we have sent some suggestions to the senior management over the years and asked that more aboriginal and more women be hired to senior management across the departments as a whole. However, there is no clear measurable way by which to make this government, Ministers and deputy ministers accountable for not meeting those targets. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier has advised us that Ministers collectively have responsibility, and he has just told us that there does not seem to be a means to hold the Ministers accountable. I would just like to confirm that. Can the Premier advise me, using the present human resource accountability scenario, where Ministers are collectively responsible for their departments in human resources, are there any repercussions for a Minister or deputy minister who is found to be derelict in their responsibility for human resources within their department?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have confidence in all of our deputy ministers and senior management within the government. Generally, we have set out for them to carry on the job of managing their respective departments within the policies and guidelines set out by this government. I think that the point that should be made is we have, I think, a need to find some way to be proactive in promoting the hiring of Northerners, aboriginal people and particularly women within the Government of the Northwest Territories.

I believe that there needs to be a review of how we will try to do that, to obtain a collective agreement with Members of this Legislature on how we can best proceed. The Members are suggesting, at least some individuals have, that a Public Service Commission is the way to proceed. I note that this has been discussed for a great number of years now, and for whatever reason, previous Executives, previous Legislatures, have decided not to proceed with that.

We will need to review that. Whatever needs to be done should be collectively agreed to, I think, by Members of this Legislature and this Cabinet so we can proceed collectively in finding the best way, the fairest way, the most efficient way of getting on with hiring, developing and retaining a civil service that is truly reflective of the people we serve. Thank you.

Thank you, Premier Kakfwi. Item 6, oral questions. Before we continue, I would just like to remind Members that supplementaries should not carry any preamble. The rule says it should not require it. These are your rules. I just want to remind you of that. The answers should also be as brief as possible.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question as well is addressed to the Premier, who, if my memory serves me correctly, was also the Minister responsible when the Affirmative Action Policy kicked in, in 1989. Mr. Speaker, there are two issues that I raised in my Member's statement. One is the need for an independent agency, a Public Service Commission, which will be thoroughly addressed by my colleagues. The other is the need for a human resource strategy.

As I indicated in the last six or seven years, there has been a tremendous amount of change, piecemeal, and a lot of it uncoordinated in human resource services. There is a need to take a look at what has been done and come up with a comprehensive strategy. Can the Premier indicate if the government is going to take a comprehensive look at how they provide these critical services? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have had a very intense initial few months since taking office. It is my view as the Premier that we will take time in the very near future to review the Affirmative Action Policy and to review the way in which this government deals with hiring, retaining, developing, and attracting people to the Government of the Northwest Territories. Attracting people from amongst the aboriginal population, the women and the northern residents to work within the Government of the Northwest Territories. To find a way that is acceptable to Members of the Legislature, and to suggest a process that we can use collectively. We can discuss and debate the best way to achieve the goals that we have set out in our vision statement, and to agree on a course of action so that together we can come up with a way to achieve measurable results and to set ways we can achieve them together. Thank you.

Thank you, Premier Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is not a new problem. This has been going on for years. In the last Assembly, the Government Operations Committee did reports. The government itself gave a response, where they made a tremendous number of commitments, the majority of which have not been followed up on.

Can the Premier indicate some timeframes, and I am hoping that we are not going to be reinventing the wheel here, of how we are going to make some progress and evolve. This is not a new issue, Mr. Speaker. We have had an Economic Development Strategy and they whipped up a Non-Renewable Resource Strategy. Surely this is equally critical. If they put their minds to it, they can start to address this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is not possible for me to set any dates by which we can offer initiatives. I have tried to, since the beginning of this Legislature, involve Caucus in any initiatives that we propose to undertake. I believe that Members of the Legislature are open to convening another Caucus, perhaps in the fall, in the beginning of September.

That would be a time in which we could prepare a paper for consideration of Caucus that would give us the basis for discussion, to launch some preliminary work in this area. Thank you.

Thank you, Premier Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would have hoped that we were far beyond preliminary work in this critical area. Political involvement is all well and good, but as a corporation, as a business, as a government, the Cabinet and deputies have an ongoing, daily responsibility to have good corporate practices.

Can the Premier indicate, while we wait for this political discussion, will the bureaucracy and Cabinet Ministers, as their role was pointed out by the Premier, look at coming up with some corporate work on this particular issue and not just wait for the political discussion? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Members know, we have started the preliminary work to develop the business plans for the next fiscal year. June is the month where we start the initial work to draft the business plans for the fiscal year 2001-2002. We will use that process to ask departments and senior managers to begin initial discussions on what information we can use and glean from them in preparing for the discussion we will have with Caucus in September. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as part of this work and review, given the fact that the Premier has indicated to my honourable colleague, Mr. Dent, that there is no way at present to hold deputy ministers accountable for targets, or any kind of measurable goals in the area of human resource development, will they look at this critical area of clear accountability frameworks that cut across government, a commitment that was made back in 1997 and has yet to be honoured? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not think that the Member is correct in quoting me as having said that so I cannot answer the question when I do not agree with the basis on which he is making the question.