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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a bit of detail I am not comfortable responding to. I will take it as notice. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. The question has been taken as notice. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Premier. I have concerns with the present state of human resource management of the Government of the Northwest Territories. I note that human resources functions are scattered throughout government. I also notice, Mr. Speaker, that monitoring is not assigned to any of the government entities. Perhaps, Mr. Speaker, this is why the government is losing close to one third of the staffing appeals that come before them. If there is no one monitoring human resources management in the GNWT, the only avenue for the public and staff is to appeal.

The Premier mentioned that past governments have looked into Public Service Commissions. Clearly, this is a government like none other before. Has the Minister and his staff looked at the option and done some concrete research into the establishment of a Public Service Commission for the GNWT?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, we have not. What I have tried to indicate is that we need good ideas on what we can do to be a better government. What I am offering today is to begin to do the ground work so we can engage Caucus fully in the development of a plan and strategy, and perhaps revisions to policies that can help us move ahead together to meet the targets we set. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Premier for that commitment. I would just like to ask if, before we get together in the fall in Inuvik to meet as a Caucus, will he instruct his government to research Public Service Commissions and present a proposal at that time for us to look at? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in keeping with previous practice, Cabinet will not be making specific recommendations. What we will probably do is develop an information package to do some initial research on some different options that could be available to Members regarding the current policies. Options like setting up a Public Service Commission, perhaps a centralized human resources function with more measurable targets. There is a whole range of different initiatives we can take. We will try to summarize them as best as we can in a clear, articulate manner, and engage the Members of the Legislature in a good, comprehensive discussion. Then Cabinet can go away with some idea as to how to proceed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I would like to thank the Premier for that. It sounds like he is going to stray from past practices of the past government, which was to ignore this issue. I would like to note that a motion was made in this House over ten years ago to establish a Public Service Commission. I think the Premier also indicated that today, but nothing has been done to make this a reality. I am assuming that a motion in this House directing government to establish a commission does not really hold that much water. I am wondering what the Members of the House have to do to make the government take the proposal of a Public Service Commission seriously and act on this? The Minister has indicated that he will come forward with some proposals, but will he take this request seriously? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I take it there are a number of Members of the Legislature who seem to like the idea of a Public Service Commission. So I will be taking the suggestion made today very seriously and we will make it part of the discussion that we will engage in with the Members in September. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Antoine. As I stated in my Member's statement, there is a considerable amount of uneasiness among employees at the young offenders' facility in Hay River. Full-time positions are being filled with casual employees. Casuals are being replaced with students. Supervisory positions are being filled with casuals when needed on a minute's notice.

Does the Minister have first-hand knowledge on the staffing policy at the centre in Hay River?

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Justice, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Justice, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister has informed us that these students are in training. The fact is that these students are displacing employees at the centre right now. What assurances can the Minister give us that this is not creating an unsafe practice at the centre?