We haven’t received any federal money to help us with our internal human resource management system, no. We haven’t received any money federally to help us with our human resource management system. It’s an internal system to the Government of the

Northwest Territories and we fund it with GNWT dollars.

Thank you. Anything further from Members? Any questions on this page, 2-4? Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to follow up a little bit on the questions about the ePerformance module that will replace the existing manual performance evaluation process with an expectation of efficiencies. I know that there are concerns about performance appraisals and, certainly many of us have spent time in government and know that the frequency of appraisals and so on were not very reliable, that the results of the appraisals didn’t follow through to appropriate action and, you know, whether good or bad, appropriate action or recognition and so on. I just can’t help but wonder if we’re relying more and more on expensive software where it is really a people issue. PeopleSoft takes away from people.

Can the Minister tell me what we are doing to ensure that people are dealing directly with people, and that there is a real human approach and solution to dealing with those issues? I just can’t imagine how an automated process and performance evaluation is in any way a benefit, except if it is a voice recording that can capture what you are saying and your discussions with your employee. What can the Minister tell me to explain why we are going to this automated route when what we need are people dealing with people? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. An ePerformance module is a tool that an employee and an employer can use when they are assessing the performance. This in no way, shape or form should take away from two people talking about progresses, and steps they can take to improve performance and start talking about where they want to go in the future by way of succession. But it does give us a way to formalize them in a standard document that we can use and track over time and compare to each other over time.

When we are talking about a paper system, often it was hard to track these over time to ensure that there was consistency. This system will also give us some indication as to how many are being done and how often, so that we can, as managers in the departments, go out and encourage their staff to actually complete these with their supervisors. For more of the specifics I will pass it to my deputy, Ms. Bassi-Kellett.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Ms. Bassi-Kellett.

Thank you, Ms. Bassi-Kellett. Mr. Bromley.

Madam Chair, I appreciate that is a good description of the system, but the key weaknesses have been identified. It doesn’t seem to deal with the frequency of the performance reviews. Once reviews are complete, they are not given the attention they deserve and a strong performance is unrecognized. Those need to be dealt with.

Again, it is no surprise in the House that I am becoming increasingly skeptical of our huge investments in software, especially when we need people jobs and we are continually bringing efficiencies that supposedly reduce personnel costs here. What will this bring us over and above a good word processing program and a bring forward system that any individual could set up? I use, and I’m sure we all use, some form of that. Thank you.

Madam Chair, I have no further questions. I would just ask the Minister to be alert to possibilities for some common sense approach that will avoid these high IT costs that the government seems to be generating. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Any further comments or questions on Human Resources? Human Resources, activity summary, human resource strategy and policy, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $300,000. Are we agreed?

Thank you. Committee, we will turn to page 2-2. Human Resources, department summary, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $300,000. Does committee agree we have concluded consideration of the Department of Human Resources?

Thank you, committee. I would ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the witnesses out of the Chamber, please.

Committee, we will move on to Department of Justice, page 7-2, section 7 in your document. Does committee agree we will start the Department of Justice?

Okay. Does the Minister have any witnesses he wishes to bring into the House?

Yes, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Does committee agree to bring the witnesses into the House?

Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, would you please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Minister Abernethy, would you please introduce your witnesses for us.

Thank you, Madam Chair. With me today are Bronwyn Watters on my left, the deputy minister of Justice; and on my right, Kim Schofield, who is the director of finance.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Welcome to the witnesses. Committee, we are on page 7-2, Justice, department summary, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $702,000. We will defer this summary until we have completed the department. We will now move to page 7-4. Justice, activity summary, services to government, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, zero. We will move on to page 7-6. Mr. Bromley.