Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. This week I spoke about the problems Lutselk’e is facing with the arena. Today I would like to ask follow-up questions to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, this matter is very serious for the community. It seems the community is getting frustrated with each passing day. Would the Minister commit to meeting with me and the community to get an accurate update and assessment of this matter?

Mr. Speaker, the Member has raised, on a number of occasions during the session, concerns about recreation and recreation facilities in his community, and more recently raised and highlighted some concerns brought to him by the community of Lutselk’e. We’ve had people in the community over the last while and have been working with the community on putting some training programs together — ice-making and other things — to help support them.

There still seems to be some disconnect in terms of some of the funding arrangements and some of the support they think they need. I’d be glad to sit down with the Member and community members if that’s the desire, Mr. Speaker.

Would the Minister commit to making a visit to Lutselk’e with me to discuss arena operations and other related matters pertaining to the arena?

Mr. Speaker, I would be glad to visit the community with the Member. In fact, over the last year we had tried to get into the community on two different occasions, and both times we were weathered out. I feel we owe a visit

to that community. I would be glad to accompany the Member to the community and have meetings and discussions around these issues and others that the Member would like to bring forward.

Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Premier. It gets back to my Member’s statement, where I was talking about the reduction exercises currently underway and the information that’s flowing through to departments and not necessarily getting through to the Regular Members on this side of the House.

I’ve become aware of one department where they are doing hiring on a case-by-case basis. It’s not necessarily a hiring freeze but a case-by-case basis, and hiring has to be approved by the deputy minister. It’s a big change, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to ask the Premier if that is a government-wide instruction on case-by-case hiring. Because there are many people out there in the public trying to get a job with the G.N.W.T. and they need to know this type of information.

Mr. Speaker, in responding to the Member’s question, he also stated in his Member’s statement about the planning and timing. For the record, let’s put it on this table the fact that in a consensus-style government, I have agreed with Members that we would make a budget happen by May–June. That reduces the amount of time we can go back and forth. So that is problematic in the way of trying to do business in a new fashion.

As to the specific area of the department the deputy minister is reviewing, it is the process we are following. Because, for example, Mr. Speaker, as a government we’re working with the goals that we’ve set as the 16th Assembly, and there are new

initiatives. We wouldn’t want departments to be hiring in an area that would not be supported in the years to come. That is why we’re doing this process, and it is government-wide.

It’s very interesting to hear the Premier say that, because — and I get back to the information sharing here — the first I heard of a case-by-case hiring policy in one department — this is the Department of Health and Social Services, and I’ll single them out — was through a constituent, Mr. Speaker. Now, I’d rather hear from the government that the government has taken that angle and they are going to go on a case-by-case basis.

I’d like to ask the Premier: has the Premier instructed deputy ministers government-wide to only go through hiring on a case-by-case basis? What are they basing their…? The jobs like

teachers and nurses: are those case-by-case as well, or is everything case-by-case, Mr. Speaker?

Mr. Speaker, the way we reviewed this is the Department of Human Resources and the Ministers brought concerns to the table. For example, we had different departments reacting in areas that were shutting down certain hiring positions. So that is not the situation. We are using a consistent approach now, and that is where departments are going out for hiring. Before an actual hiring occurs, it goes back to the deputy minister for review to ensure that it’s aligning with the work that’s starting to happen. We wouldn’t want to hire a position and then six months from now that position is not going to be part of where we’re going as the government of the Northwest Territories. That is why that direction is being used.

They’re making that determination on what’s going to be necessary six months from now or required six months from now, in isolation, because we haven’t had that level of discussion on what’s going to be a requirement six months from now. Mr. Speaker, I do get calls from constituents who are trying to apply for positions with the G.N.W.T. I want to ask the Premier: when was the Premier going to let Members of the House know that the policy has changed in terms of hiring employees for the government of the Northwest Territories? When were they going to let us know that?

Let’s be clear: we’re still hiring. But we’re doing it in a way…. The policy has not changed, but what we’re doing is, as departments go through their hiring process — through Human Resources, and the message is now to all deputies... Before a hire actually happens, we need to do that review, because departments are aware of what initiatives we’ve been working on to try to bring forward new initiatives for the government of the Northwest Territories, and departments are aware of what targets they’ve been given. They’re doing their work as to what areas may be offered up for cost-savings and cost-saving measures. So that’s where this comes into focus.

Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, the government seems to be taking this reduction exercise as a licence to pretty much do what they want. I mean, we haven’t known about this. And again, that gets back to my point: if you’re going to make decisions, especially like that, I mean, let us know.

My last question would be on timing, Mr. Speaker. I think there are a lot of rumours out there in the public service. I’ve heard numbers. I don’t want to throw them around; I don’t want to exacerbate the

situation. But there are rumours out there about the number of job losses. I want to ask the Premier: when can the public service and Members of this House expect some more information on the reductions — where they are at and what they’re going to be?

Mr. Speaker, again, in a consensus-style government, working with Members as to the time frame and meeting the May-June target, we’ve had to track from that point of bringing forward a budget process. The work is going to be done to compile all that information so we can present that to Members. It will be later on this winter and early spring before we will be able to present Members draft documents of where we’re going to meet our timelines and targets for the first budget to be put in place in May-June.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Dettah have waited a long, long time for an appropriate road with safe conditions — actually, since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. I remember it well.

Laughter.

It was a long, long time ago. The condition of the road is taking its toll on vehicles and people’s budgets. People are really extremely concerned about the unsafe conditions.

Will the Minister of Transportation sit down with the leaders in Dettah to plan and implement, at the earliest opportunity, something to address this situation and get the road properly resurfaced?

Mr. Speaker, I too have driven the road to Dettah, and I understand what the Member is saying. I want to thank him for bringing this issue to my attention.

Mr. Speaker, as Members are aware, there are high transportation needs right across the Northwest Territories. I’m committed to looking at all requests. I too would direct my department to continue working with the leadership in Dettah and with the Member here in terms of looking at this particular need in terms of their safety. It’s our priority in the department to provide safe and reliable roads for the travelling public. I would be happy to sit with the Member and also with the leadership of Dettah to look at this particular road.

I appreciate that offer, and I hope that’s actually a standing offer to all people of the Northwest Territories, all communities. I’m looking for a little extra attention here, Mr. Speaker. We’re only talking 11 kilometres. This is something that’s long overdue. The last piece of work, like I say, lasted weeks or months, and I’m hoping the

Minister will commit to meeting — himself with the leaders of Dettah — and getting this road a priority for this government.

I didn’t hear a question there. I must remind Members that it’s time for question period, not making statements.

Mr. Speaker, we are aware that the Senate committee is doing a number of trips, or a trip, across Canada. I’m not sure exactly where they’re stopping. We have been approached on that basis about their meeting here, and Minister Bob McLeod will be attending on our behalf.

Mr.

Speaker, I do encourage all

residents of the Northwest Territories, especially here in Yellowknife…. There will be hearings at the Northern United Place on Tuesday at nine o’clock in the morning. I think it’s important, even as MLAs, that we do talk about the issue of rural poverty, because it is something that affects all our residents.

Again, I’d like to ask the Premier: will the cabinet be meeting with the Senators to also, in light of other issues that we have in the Northwest Territories such as the Northern Accord and also dealing with devolution and any other problems we may have…? Has that effort been made to meet with the Senators, when they visit the Northwest Territories, to address other issues with them?

No. We have not set up a meeting as a cabinet or other Ministers. The point of contact will be through Minister McLeod, going on our behalf of when they are sitting on this specific issue that they are travelling on.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s very important that we do, whenever possible, have dialogue with the Upper House by way of the Senators that do come to the North, because they do have a role to play in what happens in Ottawa.

I think it’s important that we do get our message to not only the MPs or the Prime Minister but also the Senators by way of influencing them on issues that we’re trying to deal with. I think we have some big challenges, especially with the devolution file being where it’s at.

Again, I would like to ask the Premier if he has spoken to our Senator. Will he be meeting with Senator Simpson if he is also a part of this panel?

For the record, I have a lot of faith in Minister Bob McLeod and his being able to carry our message to this Senate committee.

As for the specifics with our Senator in the Northwest Territories, I haven’t yet been able to get a meeting time or made contact with his office on initiatives that we are looking at.

I do have a lot of faith in my cousin too.

Laughter.

I think it’s important to realize that as a government and as the Government Leader in this government, your voice carries a lot of weight around here. And I think it’s important that we do voice our concerns, especially in regard to the Conservative Senators who didn’t make an attempt to be here.

I think, as a government, we should write a stern letter to those Senators to make them aware that we do not appreciate being put aside because of the cost and not having the time to be here. I think, as a government, we do have a responsibility to stand up to these types of statements.

I’d like to ask the Premier: will he be writing a stern letter to the Senators who did not make an attempt to come here on the basis that they didn’t have time and the cost was too high?