This is page numbers 3643 – 3682 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th 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 positions.

Topics

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the summer of 2013 the GNWT hired 280 students. The hiring of students is the same as the hiring of all GNWT employees using the Affirmative Action Policy, except that for the summer students we have better numbers than we do across the board for the permanent jobs. Over 50 percent of

the students hired in the summertime were priority 1 candidates.

Currently the system works where the departments and agencies determined where they wish to place the summer students and, in fact, not in the hands of the Department of Human Resources, but each of the departments will be asked to hire as many students as possible, trying to get up and around 300 students for the summer, depending on how much room there would be in our PY budget to hire summer students. So, often the process is that they will try to match the summer student with the studies that they are in school for as close as possible or with actually in the relevant subject and relevant field that the student is studying in the South.

I recognize that the Member’s issue has been brought up in the past and that we can, as a department, make contact with all of the departments, advising them that they should be looking equally at the jobs outside of the major centres as they do inside of the major centres and try to match some of these students in the smaller communities as well. Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. Committee, if I could just make

recommendations if we could maybe shorten our responses and our questions today so we can move the agenda a little bit quicker. Committee, again, we are in HR, we’re in general comments. Does committee agree that we can proceed with detail?

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

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, committee. We will skip section 3.7 in your main estimates book as we conclude items for consideration in the future. With that, I’ll ask you to turn to page 3-8, information item, infrastructure investment summery. Any questions?

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

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Seeing none, 3-9, information item, active position summary. Any questions? Mr. Menicoche.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Just in light of our discussion about vacant positions, perhaps I’d just ask the Minister specifically the first section there under regional allocations. How many of those are real positions, Mr. Chair? Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister Beaulieu.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The active position summary here is what is funded through this process, the main estimates process. So these positions go into the main estimates as positions that the department would need to fill. So all of these would be funded and hopefully all filled and that’s the intention today.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much. So, just in terms of the 118 of the regional allocation, how many of them are currently filled?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you. For that detail I would ask that the deputy minister provide the response.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. Ms. Bassi-Kellett.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Bassi-Kellett

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The number of positions that are reflected in the 2014-15 Main Estimates demonstrate and indicate the number of active positions that we are seeking budgetary funding for through vote 1, compensation and benefits for 2014-15. Currently, at this point in time, we have been coordinating analysis of vacant positions across the GNWT as of October 31, 2013. At that point in time, the Department of Human Resources had 14 vacant positions that we were looking at being able to be staffed. At this point in time, eight of those 14 are filled either permanently or with casuals or transfer assignment employees that are in them. We have six positions that are vacant at this point in time and of those, one is in the regions and five are in Yellowknife. Thank you very much.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

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

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much. Okay, so out of the six positions, do they need to be filled and where exactly is the department, what jobs are they and does the department need those six or have they been flagged anywhere where they may be not needed? Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister Beaulieu.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

I’ll ask the deputy minister to respond to that.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. Ms. Bassi-Kellett.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Bassi-Kellett

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Of the six vacant positions, we are actively seeking to staff at this point in time. They are very important for us in being able to maintain the levels of programs and services that we need to deliver across the NWT. The first position we’re working to staff is our advisor on French language services. Very important for us to be able to uphold the role that we have to play under the French Language Strategic Plan in ensuring that we’re able to provide French language services where we have an active offer as a government to people of the NWT to be able to receive services in French.

The second position we have is a benefits officer and medical travel in Behchoko, and that’s one we’ve been struggling to fill for a while. We are providing some support from our headquarters office for that work at this time.

The third is a compensation analysis and design officer. It’s very important for some of the preparatory work that we do around preparations for collective bargaining and for tracking our compensation analysis as part of our labour relations work.

The fourth is a help desk supervisor position. We’re really working to support and enhance the level of support we’re able to give to employees through our help desk, which is where employees are able to call when they have any questions on their specific pay, benefits or terms of employment.

The fifth one that we’re working to staff is an intern of a benefits officer. We’re big believers in internships to be able to give young Northerners who have graduated recently with work opportunities, and we do know there are number of interns that come with general administration and business degrees and diplomas where this would be, potentially, a very good fit.

The sixth position we’re looking to staff imminently is a policy analyst position, which we’ve been working on for some time.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

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

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

I noticed the increase of seven positions over last year, and it looks like all seven went to Yellowknife. Can the Minister explain why Yellowknife got seven more positions this coming year?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister Beaulieu.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Five of the positions were devolution positions being added to a department. Human Resources provides, as the House knows, a service to all of the departments, and the increase of the positions as a result of devolution meant that we hired in strategic human resources a manager, a labour relations advisor, and three people in management and recruitment services, client service and two human resource officers. Those were five positions. Also, one position was transferred from the Department of Finance, financial shared services, as a senior financial planning budget analyst also here in Yellowknife, and then one position was created through internal reallocation of resources of corporate affairs.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

There will definitely be an increase in the workload for Human Resources staff and headquarters, I guess. Why is there not an increase in the workload in the regions? Why are they all posted here? Also, because of increasing the workload for the need for devolution, are these positions being paid for from the devolution funds or are they all just new money from the government?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and other Matters

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

For further detail, I’ll ask the deputy minister.