Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I liked the Premier's answers on the Northern Strategy as a living document that can be changed. Through the discussion that the elders give, can we give elders/seniors some special consideration in terms of being part of this government? I think we're missing that key here in terms of how we do government and reflecting the traditional culture and values of the Northwest Territories. So would the Premier ensure, as close as possible, that the elders are involved in this whole development of the strategy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree that the elders have to have an opportunity for input into it and I hope each of us as MLAs do make a point of talking with the seniors, with the elders within our constituencies. That's one way of doing it. Now, Mr. Speaker, I'm certainly open to considering any kind of proposals that Members may have, the public may have, and seniors themselves may have in terms of how they may be involved. In saying that though, we have to keep in mind the costs of doing it and make sure that we're doing it in a way not just for seniors, but for everybody's input in a way that is most cost effective and does give us good guidance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 6, oral questions. Item 7, written questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Could the Minister provide detailed information on what this government has done to deal with truancy, high dropout rates and the low graduation rates of our schools in the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to report that the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight has reviewed Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act, and wishes to report that Bill 21 is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 70(5) and have Bill 21 ordered into Committee of the Whole for today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to waive Rule 70(5) and move Bill 21 into Committee of the Whole for today. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Bill 21 is ordered into Committee of the Whole for today. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, tabling of documents. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Return to Written Question 73-15(3), I wish to table the following document entitled Number of New Teachers Hired from 2001 to 2005. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 13, tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, March 10, 2005, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nunakput, that the Legislative Assembly request that the Auditor General of Canada undertake a comprehensive performance audit of the workers' compensation function of the Northwest Territories/Nunavut Workers' Compensation Board and report thereon to the Legislative Assembly; and further, that the performance audit examine the organization, training and orientation of personnel, practices, attitudes, philosophy, internal performance measures, procedures and resources associated with administering claims made by the injured workers to ascertain whether these conform with, and claims are managed in accordance with, the spirit and intent of the act; and furthermore that the audit examine the adequacy and appropriateness of the board's corporate governance model and accountability relationship to the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Legislative Assembly; and furthermore that the Auditor General examine such additional factors as she, in her opinion, feels are relevant; and furthermore, that all employees, officials, board and tribunal members actively cooperate with the Auditor General in providing all appropriate documents, records, papers and information; and furthermore that the Auditor General is requested to complete this special performance audit as soon as practicable and provide a report to the Legislative Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 14, notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of bills. Item 18, second reading of bills. Item 19, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, Bill 17, Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act; Bill 19, Appropriation Act, 2005-2006; Bill 20, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2004-2005; Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act; Committee Report 9-15(3), Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight Report on the Review of the Draft 2005-2006 Main Estimates; Committee Report 10-15(3), Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development Report on the Review of the Draft 2005-2006 Main Estimates; Committee Report 11-15(3), Standing Committee on Social Programs Report on the Review of the Draft 2005-2006 Main Estimates; and, Committee Report 12-15(3), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on the Review of the Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the Administration of the 2003 General Election. By the authority given me as Speaker, by Motion 2-15(3), I hereby resolve the House into Committee of the Whole to sit beyond the hour of adjournment until such time as the committee is ready to report progress, with Mr. Ramsay in the chair.

Thank you. Committee, we have a number of items before us. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The committee wishes to consider Bill 19, Appropriation Act 2005-2006, with Aboriginal Affairs, Executive and the Legislative Assembly, as well as Bill 21. We wish to consider Bill 21 first. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Does committee agree?

Agreed. Thank you, committee, and we'll now take a short recess. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

We are on Bill 21. We are going to start with that in Committee of the Whole. I would like to ask the Minister responsible to introduce the bill.

I am pleased to introduce Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act. The staffing appeals process provides for public accountability of staffing within the GNWT public service. The proposed legislative amendments to the Public Service Act will enhance this accountability by enabling revisions to the staffing review and appeals regulations to strengthen the staffing appeals process by making it more independent and transparent.

The proposed changes to the Public Service Act include an appointment mechanism for staffing review officers as well as a more extensive regulation-making provision. This legislative change will enable further and more extensive work to be done on the staffing review and appeals regulations.

Currently, the Staffing Appeals Committee is comprised of three members: the secretary of the FMBS delegate; the president of the UNW delegate; and a mutually agreed upon chairperson. The public and employees frequently view this structure as giving either management or the union the ability to influence the outcome of an appeal.

In order to increase confidence in the staffing appeals system, it is the intention to remove union and management representatives from the process. It is proposed that independent staffing review officers from outside the government would conduct staffing appeal reviews and decide the outcome of staffing appeals.

Increased accountability will also flow from the proposed changes as the appeal process would be extended to competitions for excluded and management positions, below the assistant deputy minister level.

The current system of only allowing appeals for UNW bargaining unit competitions results in a widespread perception that there is no accountability in the staffing process for managerial and excluded positions. Subjecting management and excluded competitions to public scrutiny through the appeals process should change this perception.

Should these legislative amendments of the Public Service Act be approved, then the next stage of work of the staffing review and appeals regulations can begin in earnest. It is proposed that amendments to the regulations will include a requirement for the staffing review officer to complete written decisions, with reasons for upholding or denying the appeal, to be provided to the appellant. Currently, the report of the staffing appeal panel is not provided to the appellant or the proposed appointee. Instead, only the decision, whether the appeal is upheld or denied, is communicated to the appellant and the proposed appointee.

As you can appreciate, this type of an approach often leaves participants in the staffing appeals process wondering if their concerns have been heard. While providing written decisions for appeals will create greater understanding and confidence in the system, it will not make all candidates on a competition happy with a competition outcome. The very nature of the staff process is that only one person gets the job and the remaining applicants are disappointed that they did not get the job. In order to instil public confidence in the process, appellants require clear and reasoned justifications for the appeal decision.

While this proposal will provide for an independent review of an appealed competition, the staffing review officers would not have the authority to appoint individuals to positions. The staffing review officers' role is to determine if the staffing policy was adhered to on an appealed competition. Their appeal decisions will include directing the competition process be restarted at the point in the staffing process where the error was made. The hiring decisions would appropriately remain in the hands of the employer which is the case with the current staffing appeals process.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am prepared to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. I now look to the committee who reviewed Bill 21. Mr. Braden.