Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m pleased to present the Main Estimates for the Department of Human Resources for the fiscal year 2008–2009. The department’s 2008–2009 Main Estimates propose O&M expenditures of $32.253 million. This represents an increase of $662,000, or 2.1 per cent, over the 2007–2008 Main Estimates.
The department has reduced expenditures in areas such as travel, salaries, contracted services, and fees and payments, but the overall budget has grown due to collective agreement adjustments and increases to the cost of medical travel assistance.
The Department of Human Resources Main Estimates include funding for 167 positions. This is a decrease of four positions from fiscal year 2007–2008. One hundred and twenty of the department’s positions are located in headquarters with the remaining 47 located in regional service centres.
As the Department of Human Resources continues to adapt to its role as a provider of support and services, the Government of the Northwest Territories is experiencing greater consistency in the management of its human resources. This is evidenced by across-the-board use of interdepartmental job evaluation committees, independent reviews of open competitions by contracted staffing review officers and ongoing labour relations training for supervisors and managers.
Gains have also been made in the areas of recruitment and retention of essential staff. In the 2007–2008 fiscal year the health recruitment unit
hired more than 150 health care professionals on a term or indeterminate basis. The growth of the casual nurse float pool by more than 150 nurses in 2007 reduced the GNWT’s reliance on agency-supplied casual nurses by an average of 10 per day from the 2006–2007 fiscal year. This represents a reduction in agency nurse fees of 70 per cent, or $1.5 million.
The government remains committed to building a strong public service that is representative of the population it serves. Each year hundreds of northern post-secondary students are given valuable and relevant work experience in the territorial public service. Staffing practices such as transfer assignments and under fills afford northern residents the opportunity to build on their skill sets and advance in their chosen careers.
Consistent management of our human resources and fair and equitable treatment of our employees are integral parts of an effective and efficient public service. This budget will help with the delivery of essential human resource services; the recruitment, retention and development of staff; and the provision of timely and reliable advice and support to all departments, boards and agencies in all communities of the Northwest Territories.