EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The Departments first priority is staffing up its own operation and providing centralized recruiting services to other departments who are doing the same thing.
The biggest challenge we will face over the coming years is the renewal of the collective agreements.
The two unions, the Federation of Nunavut Teachers, and the Nunavut Employees Union have both served notice to commence negotiations.
Finally I expect the Department to be a positive force in promoting a stable and representative work force that reflects the values and the vision of our government.
Mr. Chairman I would be happy to answer any questions that the Members may have.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you Kelvin.
The Government Operations Committee Chairperson, Mr. Akesuk, I believe has a comment to make.
Mr. Akesuk (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Tootoo will make comments
Chairperson (interpretation): Go ahead then, Mr. Tootoo.
Mr. Chairman this is comments from the Standing Committee Report on Government Operations as it relates to the Department of Human Resources.
Minister Ng appeared before the committee on the morning of April 29th.
The Main Estimates summary provided to the committee indicated a total of 1999/2000 expenditures of $10,835,523.00.
The committee again recognizes the central agency function of the Department and has the following brief comments and observations.
On competency based human resource systems, the departments' draft business plan stresses the need to remove artificial academic requirements in its' job evaluation system.
The competency-based system is intended to help achieve the Inuit employment plan of the government.
The committee is supportive of efforts designed to maximize Inuit employment in government and looks forward to regular updates in government wide progress in that area.
In regards to the Human Resource Development Strategy, the committee was advised that the Department in partnership with the Department of Education, NTI and DIAND are currently discussing options with respect to the program which ends in March of the year 2000.
The committee looks forward to receiving information on progress in this area.
In regards to labour relations. The committee was informed that the department has not yet staffed the position of Director of Labour Relations.
The committee was advised that when the position is staffed the department will be able to start developing a strategy in this area.
The departmental organization charts.
The committee was advised that departments are currently in the process of having their organizational charts receive final approval.
When the approval process has concluded the committee would like to be provided on a regular basis, updates on each Government of Nunavut departments progress on staff up.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my comments on that.
I would beg your indulgence. I have a couple of motions to read.
Committee Motion 5 – 1 (2): Regular Reports on Staffing GN Departments
Mr. Chairman I move that the committee, that this committee recommends that the Department of Human Resources provides the committee with regular progress reports on staffing the Government of Nunavut Departments.
There is a motion on the floor any questions or comments to the motion?
If there is no comments, are you in favour?
I believe everyone is agreed.
You are in agreement, we have to find out whether you are in agreement or not.
But I will only find out if you have a show of hands.
Show of hands please.
Ok we are in agreement.
Mr. Tootoo did you have another comment to make?
Committee Motion 6 – 1 (2): Mid Year Progress Report
Mr. Tootoo: Yes Mr. Chairman I have another motion.
Mr. Chairman, I move that this committee recommend that the Department provide mid year progress report to the Standing Committee for review in October of this year.
Chairperson (interpretation): There is a motion on the floor. Are there any questions regarding the motion?
If there are no question, do you agree? Motion carried. Do you have anything else Mr. Tootoo?
Thank you, if you have no further comments, Mr. Ng. I believe that you would like to make a report. With your officials you can go up to the witness table.
I believe everybody is up there at the witness table.
If you would introduce the staff from your department.
I have with me Ms. Leona Aglukkaaq , Acting Deputy Minister of Human Resources.
Chairperson (interpretation) : After your report we will open up for questions and comments.
Go ahead Minister Ng. or if you don’t have any comments to make we could open it up to the floor for questions and comments right away.
Any questions or comments?
O’Brien?
I don’t have any general comments but I do have a, I guess a general question Mr. Chairman.
It would seem to me Mr. Chairman that this department is probably the critical force as it relates to decentralization, and I guess my question would be is that not the case or is it some other department or Minister that would be in charge of decentralization?
Chairperson (interpretation) : Mr. Ng do you have a response please.
Hon. Kelvin Ng. Yes, thank you Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, the Government of Nunavut, the Cabinet, hasn’t tasked any specific Minister or any Department right now with the lead on the whole decentralization issue.
It is within the prerogative of the Premier right now and Executive right now by the mere fact that it has not been passed on to anybody specifically.
Chairperson (interpretation): Mr. O'Brien, I have a hard time remembering your name, but go ahead.
Mr. O’Brien: It is okay Mr. Chairman, you can call me what ever you feel is appropriate.
I have been called many names.
Mr. Minister, in reference to the fact that this department is, I guess the key department to hiring and training, I would ask you how you see your department, even though the Premier hasn’t identified a Minister, which I feel is kind of unfortunate at this point in time because it is probably one of the most critical issues facing the smaller communities that are waiting for decentralization to occur. Given the fact that hasn’t happened, how do you see your department fitting in to this overall plan as it relates to human resources for the decentralized communities?
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you Mr. O'Brien, your response Mr. Minister.
Mr. Chairman, obviously we have a critical role in respect of supporting the departments wherever they may be in recruiting for their positions.
That is the centralized support that this department provides, and also in respect to holding the benefits of the relocation of the new employees and the development of staffing.
So those are the key areas.
The provision of being involved in the acquisition of the staff housing as well.
Those responsibilities lie within this department.
That is the critical support that we will provide to for the decentralization of Government positions.
Chairperson (interpretation) : Thank you, Mr. O'Brien?
Mr. O’Brien: In reference to training for decentralized jobs. What efforts or what plan do you have in place at this time to get people ready to take on these positions, realizing that, as it was indicated in your earlier report, that some of the academic qualifications are being revised to make sure that we give northerners an opportunity to obtain these jobs even though they may not have the so called academic qualifications or diploma.
What is the status on your training plan?
Chairperson (interpretation) : Mr. Minister would you respond to that?
I am told that right now through the involvement of the NUHRDS strategy, that there are forty two individuals who are funded under that program or within our system.
Chairperson (interpretation) : Mr. O'Brien, go ahead.
It is more of a comment for the Minister and maybe he can relay this back to the Premier that I think it is critical that the Premier appoint either a Minister, or a department to be the lead department for decentralization.
We understand that there is going to be a meeting in Baker Lake that, we are going to be given the results of a report that has been conducted or a study a guess, but I think we may be putting the cart before the horse, I think we have to get some structure to make sure we have somebody who is the lead person whether it be the Minister, whether it be yourself, Mr. Ng or any other Minister, so that we can tackle this problem in an organized fashion.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. O'Brien.
I believe Mr. Minister would like to make a reply.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Thank you Mr. Chairman, that may well be why the Premier hasn’t assigned, maybe he feels because it is broader and the importance of the issue that he is holding it himself.
We haven’t got into that debate yet and obviously everybody recognizes the importance of the issue, so I will certainly relay that back to him.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Minister and Mr. O'Brien.
At this time Mr. Puqiqnak?
Mr. Puqiqnak (interpretation): My name is not Pokniknak it is Puqiqnak.
Mr. Chairman thank you.
The Minister stated this morning that there would be a liquor outlet in Uqsuqtuq and there was a comment made that we would not want to be a liquor outlet based in Uqsuqtuq.
Looking at the employment, looking at how employment effects the community, I would like you to clarify whether this liquor warehouse is going to be based, where this liquor warehouse is going to be based.
Whether it is, if they don’t want it in Uqsuqtuq, which other communities are you looking at?
It is not, I would like everyone to understand where this liquor warehouse is going to be, I am sure nobody can just walk in there and get a case of beer because, of course, you need a permit to get the liquor, but I think that there should be that you would be able to get license in order to buy liquor.
The Minister would like to answer that question?
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Thank you Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairperson I may have erred earlier in my answer to my question.
It may not have been a liquor warehouse, it may have been, I got it mixed up, from my understanding and recollection, I think it was the Liquor Licensing Board that was slated to be moved and the administration that was going to be moved to Gjoa Haven and of course the merits of that based on the fact that the only liquor warehouse in Nunavut right now is here in Iqaluit, and so that is where the mix up might have been Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Puqiqnak, I believe you have another question.
Mr. Puqiqnak (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairman.
Yes it is very true, we were not talking about having the liquor warehouse based in Uqsuqtuq, with decentralization, there is going to be employment in the agencies in the communities and when you look at the report, Uqsuqtuq is mentioned there and it says that it would be the Liquor Licensing Board that would be based there and of course all the correspondence regarding to licensing, Liquor Licensing, would go to Uqsuqtuq.
That’s the understanding that I got from reading the report.
I would like everyone out there to understand that.
It is not going to be the liquor warehouse that is going to base there it is the Liquor Licensing Board that would be there.
Of course if you are going to be moving the Liquor Licensing Board to any other community outside of Uqsuqtuq, we would have to know and there has to be some kind of alternative department that has to move there.
We have been getting the proper information out to our community in that regard.
At this time we are not, we are on the issue of Human Resources.
Let us stick to the item, we are not talking about the Liquor Licensing Board here.
That is for your information.
Mr. Puqiqnak do you have another comment to make?
Mr. Puqiqnak (interpretation): Well I am not trying to talk about liquor or Liquor Licensing Board, I just wanted to get the proper information out there so that there is not any misunderstanding. I just wanted to make that clarification. I just wanted to get the people the proper information.
Chairperson (interpretation): Well, you could have got that information out in a brief comment because of course when you start debating you tend to spend a long time.
Ok, any comments?
Irqittuq?
Mr. Irqittuq (interpretation): My friend down there at the witness table.
I did pose a question earlier, but I would like to ask again, because in his opening comments he said that the Baffin Regional Office in Igloolik will not take place until office space and houses are available.
When I posed my question earlier you didn’t give any direct response but my question was whether this could have taken place on April 1 with the creation of Nunavut.
With the relocation dollars for staff, what is going to be happening now with that money that was earmarked for our relocating staff to Igloolik?
Chairperson (interpretation) : Thank you.
We talked about that this morning.
Regarding the Igloolik school, Mr. Minister if you would respond to that question.
We couldn’t have had it up and running on April 1, because there wasn’t a department in the GNWT so there was no positions established for April 1.
But on the question of relocation funds that might be within the department that are there now, that is a pool of funds that will be, it is not specific for Igloolik positions it is for Nunavut positions and the recruitment and relocation of staff within all of Nunavut.
Chairperson (interpretation): I believe Mr. Irqittuq has another question.
Mr. Irqittuq (interpretation): Thank you.
I realize that they're in one pot of money, but is it possible to reserve those dollars so that they can generate interest?
If you would respond to that question Mr. Minister.
Mr. Chairman, if there were to be a surplus, within that expenditure, of this department or any other department that would be reassessed at that time to see where other needs may develop.
As it stands now that is the allocation that is within the budget and until we get into operations we won't know if it is sufficient or insufficient.
Mr. Irqittuq, any further questions.
Thank you for your response Mr. Minister.
Any other items?
Thank you Mr. Irqittuq for forgetting your question.
Mr. Alakannuark (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairperson.
In regards to Human Resources I would like to make a comment.
The larger communities will, of course, have employment positions and there are the smaller communities that have been asking for employment positions.
I think we have a tendency to forget about the smaller communities and dollars are not allocated for the smaller communities.
What kind of plan do you have so that the smaller communities, like Pelly Bay or Repulse Bay, are included in these decentralization plans?
I would like clarification on this point.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Alakannuark.
Mr. Minister your response please.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Well Mr. Chairperson, I don't know if I can respond to that question.
It is not because I don't want to, it is because of the fact that this government is working with the decentralization plan that the Nunavut Implementation Commission proposed and it was modified through the Interim Commissioners' Office.
We know that it didn't take into account every single community, it tried to focus on establishing functional government offices in several locations.
I think what the member probably wants to get to in respect of generating income earning opportunities it is probably more relevant to some Sustainable Development issues, economic initiatives that might be more appropriately addressed when their budget comes up.
Thank you for your response and that clarification, but I do want everyone to realize that the smaller communities should be included because the more they know about the Nunavut Government the more support that they are going to give it.
I don't believe that's a question.
First of all I would like to ask about those communities that were going to get decentralized positions.
Their infrastructure has been built already but some of the building materials have still not been getting into the communities.
Will they be going into the communities this year on sealift?
Mr. Chairperson, as I think I answered to Mr. Nutarak on Nunavut Construction.
They're responsible with the Federal Government for developing housing and staff office space for the decentralized model and at the same time we'll probably ask for an update on the overall timetable for finishing those facilities and that infrastructure.
Thank you,.
Chairperson (interpretation): Mr. Akesuk, I think you have another question.
Since the government is going to be looking at decentralization and you are going to be looking at their capital needs. Those positions that were slated to our community, so the schedule for building infrastructure, for staff housing, would that be effected by the schedule of the arrival of these materials?
Chairperson (interpretation): Mr. Minister you want to respond.?
Yes that goes back to the whole basis of the decentralized discussion that took place earlier today and over the past.
Yes there has to be the office space and the housing for the position and it’s a matter of figuring where each of those is at and what planned positions are going to be put into place and trying to map that out on a plan.
Do you have another question Mr. Akesuk?
Mr. Minister the communities will have to receive those decentralized PY's and they are going to need office space and staff housing and we want to see more positions decentralized from the government.
I wonder if there has been additional training provided to those people who are slated to be moved to the communities?
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Akesuk.
Mr. Ng if you wish to respond to that?
I believe that I indicated earlier that under the Nunavut Unified Human Resource Development Strategy which everyone call NUHRDS, there are several programs that have been funded under that to develop Inuit training and career advancement.
There is public service career training programs, Nunavut Senior Assignment Program, Executive Master of Business Administration program, executive secretarial training, there's been media communications training and there has also been the Nunavut Government student employment.
So there are various programs that have been funded to try and bring up the level of experience and skills overall throughout Nunavut.
I think those are all the questions you have.
I don't know if this is your department or not, so correct me if it isn't.
Regarding staff housing policy, we're all over the map on this one, Mr. Minister, because in Iqaluit, government employees are eligible for a subsidy on a one bedroom apartment for which they only pay 700 dollars a month and they get most of the utilities paid for.
A two bedroom apartment they get for, I think the figure is 1200 dollars a month, and the utilities are paid for.
In a place like Baker Lake and Arviat, possibly Rankin Inlet, you can check that, it's different too.
There was leases signed in the previous government that had to come over according to the Nunavut Act.
So you have people in Rankin Inlet in private accommodations that are paying 2 thousand to 2,500 dollars a month for accommodations.
I had a call from Baker Lake regarding the nurses and some new teachers that were hired that they have to be going out to the private sector to find accommodations and they would be going for up to 2 thousand to 2,500 per month plus utilities, whereas across the street there is an old government sector building leased out to the government that is subsidized.
Is the Minister committed to, I don't know if this is his department, to making it fair, equitable and transparent like we have been told.
To make sure that government employees are all treated the same, whether they are in Iqaluit or Pelly Bay or Baker Lake or Repulse Bay or Coral Harbour?
Chairperson (interpretation): Minister Ng, I think you can clarify that question.
Mr. Chairman the department of Human Resources is involved in the allocation of staff housing units and also in the review and development of policies regarding staff housing.
The department of Public Works, Telecommunications & Technical Services is involved in the actual leasing portion of that.
But, yes I am aware of the discrepancies between headquarters and regional staff in some of the regional centres and we are going to try and bring some consistency to the whole issue.
It is, as you indicated, a bit complex, there are some units and leases that we have inherited from the GNWT, there are others that we inherited from the OIC.
So there's different factors that have to be taken into consideration.
Mr. McLean you have more questions.
Something that has come up in the last few months, and we are a small territory spread out over a vast distance.
We all have quite a few relatives in Nunavut and I think I can speak for all of us. When there are direct appointments made into positions, people that are making direct appointments, are they aware that they may be in a conflict of interest by appointing certain relatives into certain positions in the government?
We talked about this in other matters in regard to conflict of interest and the misunderstandings that people have.
My fear is that if we are not very vigilant, that direct appointments may come back to haunt us.
Does the government have a policy for where a senior civil is hiring, and it is one of the relatives that could be appointed, is there some kind of checks and balances that certain people don't get hired because they are relatives?
Mr. Minister would you respond to that?
Mr. Chairperson, Cabinet is the only legal mechanism that can appoint individuals directly into positions of this government.
So there are certain criteria that have to be met before direct appointments can be made.
I don't have that with me here, but as it is Cabinet and the Executive, it is probably the Premiers' responsibility under EIA, I might be wrong, if it is in the HR responsibility I will find out.
If it is EIA, they can provide that information.
Chairperson (interpretation): Mr. McLean you can go ahead and ask another question.
Mr. McLean: This will be my last one Mr. Chairman for now.
Will the Minister have available, and I am not saying next week, the PY's in detail of the government so us ordinary MLA's can have access to it, and if it is available now can we get a hold of it to show what people are in place and where?
Mr. Ng do you have a comment to make to that?
You meant for all of the departments of government I take it?
We will see what we can provide in a summary form.
Mr. Tootoo, Iqaluit Centre, you have the floor.
Just a few questions to follow up on Mr. McLean about the organizational chart.
Have all departments have finalized organizational charts at this time?
I am told we don't have all of them in yet from all of the departments.
Chairperson (interpretation): Go ahead Mr. Tootoo, you have another question.
I'm not sure if the Minister understood, I wasn't asking if he had received them, I was asking if all departments had finalized, approved organizational charts for each of their departments.
I think Mr. Minister you can provide a better response to that.
Mr. Chairperson it is probably more appropriate when they come up about their specific organizational chart.
Chairperson (interpretation): Mr. Tootoo, you can continue.
The Minister indicated in his opening remarks that they have 17 employees in headquarters and four in the regions.
Does he have an organizational chart for his department that has been finalized and, if so, out of that 17 or those 21 positions, at what levels are they staffed at right now?
I would just like to say at this point that we are conducting our affairs in Inuktitut, so if I say boss or president, I am struggling with Minister, so if I say boss or president, I mean Minister.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Thank you, I like boss.
Anyway, yes we have an approved org. chart with 47 positions and 17 filled out of 47.
Chairperson (interpretation): You have another one Mr. Tootoo.
I have a number more, but one more on this topic is, does the Minister have an idea of a time frame in which his department will be staffed to its' full capacity?