Thank you.
Debates of Feb. 19th, 2013
This is page numbers 1937 – 1976 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 4th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was going.
Topics
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Wendy Bisaro
Committee, page 12-9, any further questions? Page 12-10, Industry, Tourism and Investment, information item, active position summary. Page 12-11, Industry, Tourism and Investment, information item, active positions, Business Development Investment Corporation.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Wendy Bisaro
Page 12-13, Industry, Tourism and Investment, activity summary, corporate management, operations expenditure summary, $7.908 million. Mr. Dolynny.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
Thank you, Madam Chair. What we’re seeing in a lot of departments, especially in the corporate management sector, I like to refer to as performance measures. I assume these would
be the same performance measures that could be possibly governed and used for bonuses or performance bonuses. Does the Department of ITI have any specific performance measures that it does use for its corporate management structure?
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Peter Vician
Thank you, Madam Chair. Under the current performance review process, executive managers, managers and staff have established performance objectives that are identified each year. Those performance objectives are evaluated on an annual basis and assessed in the responsibility area that the respective director, manager or staff person is responsible for. For example, an executive in the tourism area would be measured against the performance with regard to specific results regarding effort and results pertaining to attracting tourism visitation to the North and tourism spent in the North. In each case there are performance measures that would reflect the appropriate responsibility area.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
In the spirit of transparency and accountability, whether this question is asked here or asked in public accounts, how are these performance measures being able to be communicated to standing committee as a way of keeping track of the performance grading of the corporate management of this department?
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Madam Chair. I’ve never seen that level of detail at committee but the suggestion is one that it’s the first time I’ve heard it. Maybe we could go to Deputy Minister Vician for a response.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Peter Vician
Thank you, Madam Chair. At this point it’s my understanding that the performance measurement process is internal to the department. So in the case of any given department, like ITI, the supervisor and the subordinate would go through the performance review process on an annual basis. That reporting would be referred to through the chain to the deputy minister, who reviews the reviews themselves and identifies and reviews the objectives for the period, then those become part of the personnel file. There’s no further disclosure of that information outside of what I call the standard performance measures that the GNWT makes public in terms of expectations on performance management in financial and other managerial human resources areas.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
Just so we’re perfectly clear, I don’t think the Member here is asking for HR-related performance measures in general. I think I’m looking for overall performance measures as a means of department activity under the guise of corporate management. Can we get, maybe, some idea that if we can work towards looking at the transparency of some of those larger picture items for the performance of management so that we know, as Regular Members, are all the initiatives that were put forth to corporate management given the fact this is a fairly detailed department, that we too as Members can see and track the performance and evaluate the performance, not the individual HR performance of individuals but the overall performance of, let’s say, ITI in general? That’s my question.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Peter Vician
Of course we’ll be more than pleased to provide additional details. We assess our results on an annual basis in a composite way as part of the business planning process. At the end of each fiscal year, a process is initiated with regard to reviewing how the objectives that were set out in the business plan on an annual basis were achieved. We report those reports to this Legislature through the business planning process and, of course, during the committee review of our business plans, are there to account for our results in the past year’s performance. Obviously more than pleased to improve on that process if information is needed further and, of course, through the Minister providing committee updates on particular issues, there’s more information to be had at that point too.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Madam Chair. The issue that Mr. Dolynny brings up is a good one. I think it’s a discussion that all Members probably should have. From my perspective, we stand up as Ministers and if a department’s falling down in an area or has questions in an area, we answer that on the floor of the House or through the business plans. That has been the process. It’s been political, questions asked, issues addressed through the department and that goes down through the corporate management of the department to whatever manager or director is responsible for a certain area. If we want to delve a little bit deeper, that’s an interesting aspect. It’s the first I’ve heard of it. We could certainly discuss it a little bit further.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Wendy Bisaro
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Page 12-13, Industry, Tourism and Investment, activity summary, corporate management, operations expenditure summary, $7.908 million.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Wendy Bisaro
Page 12-14, Industry, Tourism and Investment, activity summary, corporate management, grants and contributions, nil. We have nothing to agree on. Page 12-15, Industry, Tourism and Investment, information item, corporate management, active positions.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Wendy Bisaro
Page 12-17, Industry, Tourism and Investment, activity summary, minerals and petroleum resources, operations expenditure summary, $5.725 million. Mr. Yakeleya.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Norman Yakeleya Sahtu
Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanted to ask the Minister, regarding this, if he could do a very brief summary as to how his department has responded to this happening up in the Sahtu with regard to the oil and gas exploration, human resources capacity-wise and other socio-economic or straight economic plans for the upcoming years of the oil and gas exploration.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters