Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Government Operations has been considering Bill 30, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act. The purpose of this bill is to enact three changes to the Public Service Act:

1. to remove the potential for conflict of interest in

the process of granting a leave to an employee who wishes to run for elected office by shifting the authority to grant such leave request from the Minister responsible for the Public Service to the deputy minister;

2. to permit employees who have been identified

for layoff to be placed in vacant positions

without disrupting their continuous employment status as the act currently requires;

3. to expedite the appointment of employees in

order for the government to fulfill its legal duty to accommodate someone who has been impacted by illness or injury.

The committee has no concerns with the amendment that proposes to shift the authority to the deputy minister to grant the leave requests for the purpose of political candidacy. This change is consistent with the recommendation made by the Chief Electoral Officer and his report on the administration of the 2011 General Election and subsequently concurred with the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures.

The committee is, however, divided in its support for the remainder of this bill because there are aspects of the remaining two proposed amendments that some members of the committee find troubling. Nonetheless, the committee completed a clause-by-clause review of the bill on October 16, 2014. Following the committee’s review, a motion was carried to report Bill 30 to the Assembly as ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.

This concludes the committee’s opening comments on Bill 30. Individual committee members may have additional questions or comments as we proceed. Mahsi cho.