This is page numbers 4183 – 4224 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 services.

Topics

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

There are a number of possibilities which we’re checking into. I can’t definitely give him a clear answer on that as

the matter is still being checked into. I have gone back to the officials after our discussion in the House yesterday, as well, so I will, once again, have that information, when it’s ready, provided to the Member. Thank you.

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

I appreciate the department and Minister investigating this huge shortfall. I think it was very problematic for those who actually reviewed the public accounts at the time.

Can the Minister give a bit more of an indication, is that including audits, and if so, are audits being performed on out-of-province wholesalers? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

We’ve, in fact, added a couple of auditors to the Finance operations to enhance their capabilities. We continue to monitor the whole chain from the wholesaler up to the retailer. We want to try to work, as well, with other departments as we try to track the impact and look at what Stats Can can tell us.

I would point out that when it comes to measuring 42,000 people amongst the 30-some million Canadians there are, we tend to be referred to as statistically insignificant and it is problematic when they do make their numbers available. Oftentimes, we are even less than a rounding error in terms of the quantity of people in the Northwest Territories compared to Canada at large. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the Minister has mentioned the issue of statistically unviable information from the Northwest Territories, but we clearly know, if we want, we can provide these statistics. We do have the means. We have a stats bureau that can do all this stuff for us.

Can the Minister indicate what safeguards or policies has the Department of Finance formalized to mitigate these yearly variances that we’re seeing in tobacco tax collection in our territory? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

Thank you. I don’t think you’re ever going to get away from potential variation. For example, we believe, and we have some of the numbers to show us, that there has been a significant switch from rolled cigarettes to loose tobacco because it’s considerably cheaper. Our cigarettes are the second highest in the county. We do our utmost to check and keep track of contraband cigarettes, counterfeit cigarettes as well. So we’re always going to have some variation. Plus we’re spending a considerable amount of money as a government trying to get people to quit smoking and that shows some signs of success in certain age demographics. So we are always going to have that kind of variability, I believe. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to return to the Minister of Health’s answers here and I wanted to continue to ask questions. So let’s break down some of the departmental response in the Auditor General’s report. For the record, we all know in this building that the policies and procedures manual has been worked on for at least eight years. So, in other words, it makes it clear and relevant that everyone knows what’s going on, but I’ll save the questions of why didn’t they act sooner for the appropriate committee that will be reviewing the report line by line, and I’m speaking broadly, not to particular chapters.

So my question for the Minister is simply this: Noting the departmental response provided to the Auditor General on each of those chapters, when was this response provided to the Auditor General in writing and by whom and when would the Minister have been briefed on the types of responses provided to the Auditor General? The written responses. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean, that’s a pretty detailed question and I certainly don’t have that detail in front of me, but I’d be happy to get it for the Member. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you. We could only assume that the department would inform the Minister as to what they’re doing. So, that said, when would the Minister have been informed that the department is responding to the Auditor General and, as such, as they prepared the Minister’s statement that was read into the House February 25th , in other words,

the pre-work in advance of the Minister’s statement before the Minister read it? I assume, as he said earlier, clearly, that he’s on top of his job and he’s a smart guy, he said that he would have understood the statement he was going to read. Thank you.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you. My statement made on February 25th is actually

incredibly consistent with the exact conversations that I’ve had in committee on other occasions. This is not new information; this is not some brand new thing that we’re doing. I believe the former Minister has actually made similar statements. As the Minister, I have the ability to select what statements I’m going to make and the child and family service file was an important one to me. It has been an important one since I was elected for my first term and it will continue to be important to me and I’ll

continue to make statements. But once again, what I said on the 25th is not inconsistent with what I’ve

said in committee or in front of the House when I was being questioned by Committee of the Whole.

So, as far as what the Member is maybe trying to suggest, frankly, once again, it’s an opinion and he’s entitled to his opinion. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you. Well, the Minister can keep repeating I have an opinion and that’s fine. I mean, the public sees it for what it is.

My next question for the Minister is: Who writes his Minister’s statements when they specifically target areas to talk about, which is child and family services matters? In other words, who would have written that? If he doesn’t want to name the name, name the section or the position. Thank you.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you. When it comes to the Department of Health and Social Services, I decide what statements I want to make and I direct the department to draft a statement with the types of messaging that I would like to have in there, which is what I did in this case. Given that this was a Minister’s statement on child and family services, it would have been the child and family services unit and the director of that division who would have helped put together the language on that statement. But ultimately it’s my statement.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The probability is unreachable in any realm to put a bet on this, but let’s put it this way. With the likelihood of the statement as highlighted by the Minister that it’s written by the unit of the childhood family services area, they are, as we can only assume, the same unit that would have responded to the Auditor General of Canada in their written response represented by the department. Is it not probable that those are the same people writing the Minister’s statement and the response to the Auditor General? Thank you.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you. Of course it’s a possibility, absolutely. We’ve got only a finite number of employees within the GNWT with the technical expertise in their different areas, but it’s absolutely irrelevant. The Member’s statement or the Minister’s statement was mine, I directed the department on what I wanted to say, I wanted to follow up on the types of things that are going on in the department and regardless of who writes it, it’s still my statement.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, time for oral questions has expired. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Madam Clerk.

Clerk Of The House (Ms. Langlois)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am in receipt of a return to written question asked by Mr. Hawkins on February 12, 2014, to the Honourable J. Michael Miltenberger, Minister of Finance, regarding human resource funding transfers and reallocations.

The information the Member is seeking is not available and cannot be provided. There is also the concern of dedicating scarce human and financial resources in order to comb through excessive amounts of data going back 10 fiscal years on what is, for all intents and purposes, a subjective exercise, trying to guess why managers of years past made certain staffing decisions. None of our systems, past or present, track the type of information the Member is requesting.

The Financial Administration Act gives the deputy minister for the respective department the ability to make interactivity transfer as a management tool. For interactivity transfers over $250,000, I table a report during every session in my role as Minister of Finance. The information contained in the reports may alleviate some of the Member’s concerns. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Clerk Of The House (Ms. Langlois)

I am in receipt of a return to written question asked by Mr. Hawkins on February 12, 2014, to the Honourable Tom Beaulieu, Minister of Human Resources, regarding dormant GNWT positions.

Mr. Speaker, in response to question 1, vacancy analysis as of October 31, 2013, indicates that there were 161 vacant GNWT positions that were categorized as inactive by departments and agencies. “Inactive” is the position status used to describe positions where there is no incumbent and no staffing action taking place in the immediate future.

In response to question 1(a), every department and agency, with the exception of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, had positions they categorized as inactive as of October 31, 2013. In response to question 1(b), inactive positions are located in Yellowknife; in the regional centres of Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells, Inuvik; and in 16 smaller communities. In response to 1(c), there is very little funding associated with the positions that were categorized as inactive as of October 31, 2013. Some positions were identified as inactive because they are scheduled to sunset March 31, 2014. Others were inactive, pending job evaluation review due to

change of scope. Some others were inactive and are being re-profiled to fill other operational needs.

Mr. Speaker, in the October 31, 2013, vacancy analysis, departments also reported a total of 571 positions categorized as “to be staffed” in the immediate future. Given the dynamic nature of the GNWT public service, the number of positions to be staffed changes daily. The GNWT uses a range of methods within our legislative and policy framework for human resource management to fill positions across the public service. Departments and agencies are responsible for initiating recruitment to their positions and the Department of Human Resources provided expertise on options and approaches to best fill the position. In 2013 we had 1,265 staffing actions, including hires, transfers and promotions.

Mr. Speaker, in response to question 2(a), all departments and agencies identified positions in this category and these positions were located in 26 communities across the Northwest Territories. With regards to question 2(b), not all of the 571 positions were funded positions; for example, relief positions are included. Departments utilize funding approved by the Legislative Assembly to hire staff to effectively implement their mandated programs and services within the parameters of the Financial Administration Act and other budgetary controls.

With regards to question 2(c), departments use a variety of approaches to advertise positions. Many jobs are advertised on eRecruit, through our careers website at gnwtjobs.ca. Job posters are also sent to communities outside the regional centres to advertise job openings in the community. In addition to advertised job competitions, internal processes such as transfer assignments and direct appointments are used to get the right skill set into the job, support employee development and meet short-term needs. Finally, with regards to question 2(d), positions are typically vacant for no more than a month or two; however, on occasion, a position may be vacant for longer given unique recruitment challenges related to the occupation, position location or other factors. The Department of Human Resources is finalizing a hard to recruit methodology that will assist departments in addressing these recruitment challenges.

Mr. Speaker, to summarize, the public service is a large and diverse organization. It is not static. Employees join us, they move around, they take extended leave, they part company from us and we have to staff once again. At the same time, positions are created, filled or made inactive. The information collected on vacant positions informs program design and strategies which, in turn, assists with staffing, to support recruitment and retention efforts across the GNWT. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item

12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills, Ms. Bisaro.

Bill 1: Reindeer Act Bill 2: Archeological Sites Act Bill 3: Surface Rights Board Act
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills

March 4th, 2014

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning has completed its review of Bill 1, Reindeer Act; Bill 2, Archeological Sites Act; and Bill 3, Surface Rights Board Act.

The committee wishes to report that Bill 1 and Bill 2 are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole, and Bill 3 is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Item 14, tabling of documents. Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 6-17(5), Strengthening Municipal Enforcement of Liquor Laws.” Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Pursuant to Section 21. (1) of the Legislative Assembly Retiring Allowances Act and Section 11.1. of the Supplementary Retiring Allowance Act, I wish to table the Annual Report of the Legislative Assembly Pension Plans, March 31, 2013.

Item 15, notices of motion. Ms. Bisaro.