Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the implementation of 20/20: A Brilliant North, NWT Public Service Strategic Plan is well underway. This plan is the first of its kind for the Department of Human Resources.

Mr. Speaker, 20/20: A Brilliant North is an important and exciting strategic plan that will guide the Government of the Northwest Territories human resource planning over the next 10 years and is being championed by all deputy ministers. The actions contained in the accompanying three-year action plan are ambitious, with year one focussing on the development of a number of programs, the second year piloting programs such as the training program for aboriginal employees and in year three, rolling out the full programs.

Goal one, Fixing the Foundation, supports 20/20: A Brilliant North’s mission and vision by putting in place a firm foundation of excellent human resource management practices and services necessary to ensure the other strategic goals have the support to be successful. Work that has already commenced under this goal includes the establishment of a transition team with a focus on streamlining human resource processes and procedures and reducing the backlog in pay and benefits. Client service training has also been provided to Human Resources’ staff in all regions; learning plans are currently being developed for all employees in Human Resources; and a client satisfaction survey will be issued to Department of Human Resources’ clients prior to the end of this fiscal year.

Goal two, Engage: Magnetic Attraction. This goal, through the attraction of Northerners and others to

the public service, and the engagement of existing workforce, will establish a public service that reflects our diverse cultures and provides high quality services to the residents of the Northwest Territories. Some of the exciting actions being worked on under this goal include: the establishment of an Aboriginal Employees Advisory Committee; the establishment of recruitment strategies for hard to recruit occupations such as engineering, pharmacy and social work; and identifying ways to increase the support and representation of persons with disabilities.

Goal three, Dazzle: Diverse Opportunities, focuses on the commitment to the workplace and environment, individual wellness, and establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with our partners: the public and stakeholders. Under this goal the Government of the Northwest Territories Green Team has been established; a Summer Wellness Program was piloted in the Department of Human Resources; the Managers’ Tool Kit was launched; regularly scheduled meetings commended with both the Union of Northern Workers and the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association; cross-cultural awareness opportunities for employees are currently being developed and labour relations training is being offered to managers and supervisors in all regions.

Goal four, Inspire: Expanding Horizons, focuses on inspiring the public service to strive for continuous development and a culture of lifelong learning. Under this goal, the important work of developing aboriginal employees training programs, the implementation of learning plans and a new performance management framework are underway for all employees.

Last, but not least, goal five focuses on the future through excellence in planning for and management of the public service including the development of a succession planning framework that includes the transfer of knowledge. Under this goal, a framework for departmental human resource plans that will include an affirmative action component is currently being drafted and work is also underway on identifying common priorities and shared services where the Government of the Northwest Territories may partner with community

and aboriginal governments to improve human resource management in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, we have much work ahead of us but I look forward to keeping the Members of this Assembly informed as we continue to implement 20/20: A Brilliant North. I am expecting that the first formal results, reporting on year one of the three-year action plan, will be tabled in this Assembly in June 2010. In closing, I would like to thank the Government Operations committee for their ongoing support and guidance as we move forward implementing 20/20: A Brilliant North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.