Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Introduction
On June 22, 2000, the Legislative Assembly adopted Motion 5-14(3) Establishment of a Public Service Commission. As a result of this motion, in the fall of 2000 the Government of the Northwest Territories contracted the firm of Grant Thornton LLP to:
- • carry out a comprehensive study on the state of human resource management across the Government of the Northwest Territories, and;
- • recommend options for improvement including affirmative action results, and consideration of a Public Service Commission model.
Grant Thornton and Associates submitted their report to the Government in December 2000.
Committee Review of the Report
The Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, Premier, transmitted the Draft Human Resource Management Study Report to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight on January 15, 2001 for comment. The Committee met to consider the report on April 4, 2001 and again on June 11, 2001. Witnesses included the Honourable Jane Groenewegen, Deputy Premier; Mr. John Holdstock and Ms. Elaine Todres, Grant Thornton and Associates; Mr. Lew Voytilla, secretary to Financial Management Board; Ms. Liz Snider, secretary to Cabinet; Ms. Lynn Elkin, senior human resource advisor, Department of the Executive; Ms. Sylvia Haener, director, labour relations and compensation, Financial Management Board Secretariat; and Ms. Sheila Bassi, executive assistant to Mrs. Groenewegen.
The Committee understands that Cabinet has not yet formally responded to the recommendations in the Draft Human Resource Management Study and therefore this document is a general response to the Grant Thornton report only.
Recognizing the importance of the work to date and desiring to seek continued examination of options, the committee has already provided general comments through letters to the Premier and the chairman of the Financial Management Board. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight looks forward to reviewing the government's response to the recommendations in the near future.
The committee notes that the Draft Human Resource Management Study, completed by Grant Thornton and Associates, recommends an independent appeal process, but suggests it does not need to be a Public Service Commission. They further recommend continuation of a decentralized approach to human resource functions with some increase in coordination and monitoring by central agencies:
"In our view, the concerns expressed to us and the problems identified with the appeals process, support the need for an independent and more visible appeals function. However, we do not advocate establishing a separate agency for all other human resource functions, since experience in the GNWT and in jurisdictions elsewhere suggests that, increasingly, these functions are more effective if managed in a decentralized environment, albeit with some central coordination and monitoring. As a result, a Public Service Commission is unnecessary primarily for the appeals function." (Thornton, 2000, p. 93)
The Thornton Report (2000) reinforces their recommendation that an independent commission or directorate is needed:
"Nevertheless, given the degree to which the employment process in the GNWT is clearly important to so many Northerners, we believe there is merit in establishing an autonomous appeals function where there is a trust in the efficacy and impartiality of the function. This could be accomplished by establishing a separate Appeals Directorate or Commission with an independent head and appeals officers." (p. 94)
While Members support the recommendation that a "separate appeals directorate or commission with an independent head and appeals officers" be created, we are not yet convinced that such a body should focus only on appeals. The report appears to conclude that there is no significant organizational change needed other than the establishment of an independent appeals entity. If a Public Service Commission or Appeals Directorate is established to focus only on appeals then Thornton appears to feel that a new approach to human resource management can be accomplished within existing departments. This approach will likely not address Members' concerns related to coordination of human resource management practices throughout the public service. Further, we have not been convinced that increasing the role of Financial Management Board Secretariat and the Executive will necessarily solve concerns that Members have heard from their constituents about human resource issues.
If there is to be accountability and government-wide implementation of human resource management polices and programs that advance Legislative Assembly priorities, there must be an entity that acts in the public interest. Such an entity must show that this Assembly is committed to a civil service that is professional, non-partisan, and representative. The report suggests that enhancing the role of corporate human resources would improve overall performance and compliance with existing policies. There is not sufficient detail provided to show how this would address the government's ability to effectively coordinate the human resource needs of the public service any better than our government has done since Personnel was disbanded. Nor does the recommendation deal with the need for adequate reporting, monitoring and accountability by the Government of the Northwest Territories to the public.
To move the process along, the report recommends that a task force comprised of deputy ministers develop a detailed implementation program for the direction proposed by the study. Members are not supportive of such an approach until there is a mechanism to ensure ongoing involvement of the Members of the Legislative Assembly to provide a political oversight function. At the very least, detailed terms of reference should be developed to guide the task force. One possible approach might include setting up a working group of Cabinet and Regular Members to work on a draft response to the Thornton report for review by Cabinet and standing committee.
The Premier has proposed that a committee of Members travel to different jurisdictions this fall to examine how they handle their human resources functions. At this time, members of the standing committee feel they can gain sufficient understanding of practices in other jurisdictions through briefing materials, but welcome the Premier's offer to work with the standing committee. Since there must be some mechanism to involve political oversight of the process as it proceeds:
