Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to recognize Mr. Denny Rodgers who's a constituent of mine from Inuvik Twin Lakes. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize a constituent, Mr. Bronwyn Watters, assistant deputy minister with the Department of Justice, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we've missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the House. I hope you're enjoying the proceedings. It's always nice to have an audience here. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in keeping with my Member's statement, my questions today are for Minister Dent, responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, with the emphasis on employment. I'd like to ask Minister Dent if in any of the meetings that he attends with his counterparts from provincial or territorial jurisdictions, has the issue of labour market shortages in the private sector, retail service and hospitality industry ever been discussed as an issue? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

It has, Mr. Speaker, particularly at the meetings of Ministers responsible for Immigration.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you. Did those discussions with Ministers of Immigration have any initiatives in them that might be a solution to any of our labour market shortages here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are looking at, in terms of immigration, perhaps working more closely with the federal government. We don't currently administer immigration programs ourselves in the Northwest Territories. What we have done, though, is started to look at what territories like the Yukon have done and what some of the provinces are doing. We've asked the federal government if we could participate with them on one of their committees in Alberta to get some experience and understanding as to how we might work more collaboratively with them, and we intend to take a look at whether or not that will work. One of the things that's happened recently is the federal government has just announced an extension in the temporary Foreign Worker Program, and workers who are now in that program can have their stays extended to two years from one year. I understand that workers who are currently here on one-year permits could seek to have those permits extended for a second year.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's an interesting piece of information and I'm not sure if we have an immigration office here in the Northwest Territories, but it might help if we did if we were going to actually realize any effects to benefit the employers in the North. I would like to ask the Minister does he have any other ideas of any other initiatives that could be undertaken by this government, through his department, to alleviate this pressure on the private sector? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have, as I said, a number of initiatives that we're taking a look at in terms of immigration. We're also, of course, working with partners in aboriginal governments and the federal government to make sure that we train more northerners. We know that we have people who are capable of taking more jobs. Often literacy is a challenge and that's one of the areas in which we have tried to focus. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister responsible for Human Resources. I'd like to start off by saying that the

unprecedented growth in the numbers of our public servants has gone from 2,750 in 1999 to over 4,700 today. That's over 43 percent, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister who's responsible for Human Resources what the government's game plan is to address the increase and whether or not this is sustainable over the long haul. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Two questions there. The honourable Minister responsible for Human Resources, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The growth in the public service over the period that the Member talks about has largely been driven by growth at the front lines. So we have seen a tremendous increase in the numbers of teachers. We reduced the pupil-teacher ratio over the last six or seven years significantly. We have increased the amount of money that we're putting into supporting students with special needs. We have hired a lot of social workers and nurses. So most of the growth is actually in front-line services. The departments have to come forward with their request for funding to increase staff to the FMBS and only those cases where it is clearly necessary are those requests being authorized. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's been a lot of occasions over the past three and a half years where the justification for increasing positions has always been something that's been approved. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister how can a government continue to operate over the past seven years, and I'll use that as a baseline, how can a government operate? This Minister is only responsible for the last three and a half years. How can a government operate without a comprehensive human resource plan? How is it possible that we do that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually, I've only had the department for three and a half months, not three and a half years. The department and the government have government-wide policies that cover hiring and, as always, the Financial Management Board has the overall decision-making power when it comes to departments coming forward and asking to add persons onto the government payroll. So every time we were looking at hiring new staff, if there's an additional expenditure, it has to be approved by the Financial Management Board, and one of the things that has to happen there is a clear justification for the need for the position. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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