EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Members note that the government has set a target date of March 31, 2010, for 56 percent or more of all positions across all occupational categories to be filled by beneficiaries.
This is an ambitious goal, given that 700 new beneficiary employees will need to be hired in order to achieve it.
Members note that the middle management and professional occupational categories presently have the lowest levels of beneficiary employment.
Members urge the department to continue its efforts to work in partnership with other entities to secure training investments from the federal government in order to help us achieve our long-term Article 23 goal of building a representative, qualified and professional public service.
The success of the Akitsiraq Law School Program provides a model worth emulating for producing the next generation of Inuit teachers, healthcare providers, accountants and other professionals.
A revised Government of Nunavut Priority Hiring Policy was tabled in the House on November 28, 2005. The Policy provides that Nunavut land claim beneficiaries who meet the qualifications of a given position have priority over other candidates.
The standing committee firmly supports this policy.
The department’s 2007-08 business plan indicates that it will conduct an interim review of the policy in 2007.
The process provides for the consideration of current Government of Nunavut employees as well as other Nunavut residents, with a minimum of one calendar year of residency, before applicants from other jurisdictions.
The Government of Nunavut’s own system of employee recognition provides long-term service awards to public servants who have been with the government for at least five years. This benchmark would appear to be a better starting point for determining who constitutes a long-term northerner, rather than just one year of residency.
Members note with concern that the gap continues to widen between the number of beneficiary males and the number of beneficiary females employed by the Government of Nunavut. According to the Government of Nunavut’s most recent annual reports on the public service, 304 beneficiary males and 775 beneficiary females were employed by the Government of Nunavut in March of 2004.
In March of 2006, there were 382 beneficiary males and 1,038 beneficiary females employed.
The recruitment challenges in this area are clearly linked to such broad social issues as levels of educational attainment.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee strongly supports such valuable initiatives as the Summer Student Employment Program.
In 2006, a total of 207 Nunavut students participated in the program and gained valuable experience.
Approximately 50 percent of the program participants were from communities other than the capital.
The issue of workforce morale is important. Although the standing committee notes with approval that the Government of Nunavut’s turnover rate has decreased from 31 percent in 2000 to 16 percent in 2005-06, the issue of work place absenteeism in the Government of Nunavut is clearly a problem.
The committee has noted that the department is working on an attendance management program to address this issue. The number of active grievances increased from 96 in March of 2003, to 117 in March of 2006.
The impact of the Government of Nunavut’s new Staff Housing Policy on employee recruitment and retention across the government must closely be monitored.
Recently ministerial correspondence to the standing committee reveals that the Government of Nunavut’s exit interview surveys are now addressing this issue. The initial data indicated that approximately 40 percent of employees recently leaving the public service identified it as being a significant factor.
The Government of Nunavut’s Collective Agreement with the Nunavut Employees Union expired on September 30, 2006.
Before we proceed, I would like to remind members of the following; according to Rule 77(1), you have 10 minutes to speak, and according to Rule 77(2), subject to the discretion of the Chair, a member may speak more than once to a matter under discussion but not until every member wishing to speak has spoken.
I suggest to members that wherever possible you ask your detailed questions during the page-by-page review of the departmental estimates. Do members have any general comments on Human Resources?
There being none, I’ll go to page D-5 of the 2007-08 main estimates.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome Minister.
Before I proceed, where do we bring up government staff housing; in this department, or under Nunavut Housing Corporation?
I want to talk about employees, not specifically housing.
Can somebody make that clear to me?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Human Resources is responsible just for employees; the Housing Corporation is responsible for staff housing.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): So how much do they have to pay for staff housing? If they have to pay for staff housing, would that fall under the Housing Corporation, too?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, this is not handled by the Department of Human Resources, only by the Nunavut Housing Corporation and also by the union because they are negotiated through the union.
I’ll wait on that.
Under Directorate, D-5, on the second page of the committees opening remarks in 2004-05, in the Public Service Annual Report, there were 421 Government of Nunavut employees who received $1,500 per year bilingual bonus.
Then it also states beneath that 1,377 are beneficiaries.
How come only some of them get a bilingual bonus? For example, I’m speaking in Inuktitut because I want to make it clear and if I want to talk to the English speaking people and I want to be understood, I’ll speak that language.
How useful is it?
Is it only if they are teachers or if they work at the hospital?
My reason being that all bilingual people whether they live in Pond Inlet, they are constantly used by English speaking people because they speak two languages.
I don’t think either of them gets bilingual bonuses. Can you differentiate who is eligible for a bilingual bonus and who isn’t?
Our policy is if a person is bilingual in English or Inuktitut, the service providers, the receptionists who will deal with the public and any essential service providers, they get a bilingual bonus.
Not only Inuktitut speaking but French speaking as well get the bonus.
Some positions you don’t need to be bilingual.
For example, an employee sitting in front of the computer all day does not need to be bilingual.
In the job description it would specifically state that you have to be able to speak two languages. In that case, if you just sit in front of the computer, there is no bilingual bonus.
So for that reason, I know there are more Inuit beneficiaries who work but that is one of the reasons why not all of them get bilingual bonuses. It specifically states in the job description whether they will receive a bilingual bonus or not.
The positions that require the persons to be bilingual, especially if they are bilingual; can he table a document as to which positions need to be bilingual?
If I am in transportation, and if I deal with the public because I’m in a transportation section would I be entitled to that $1,500, or just the people who can only speak English?
Yes. I don’t have that information in front of me but I definitely can provide those documents to identify which positions are eligible for bilingual bonus. It’s to appreciate the individual’s performance because of the extra qualification that they need.
It’s very clear because all the employees should be able to speak English and Inuktitut, even though it might not apply to the elders, but I don’t think that is the case though.
My question is under Directorate. If I recall correctly the decentralized offices are in Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet, and Igloolik.
If they can’t get anybody local to get to a managerial position, in the meantime they hire non-beneficiaries more on a casual basis, or contract them for three or four years.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Like for example, beneficiaries, or individuals who are the beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement if they were not qualified and they hired a non-beneficiary individual to train a beneficiary as a manager; is that what your question is?
I would like to ask him if he can clarify his question.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Yes, exactly that way. Like for example, sometimes it’s obvious that some individuals are not working hard enough to train the beneficiaries.
In Iqaluit we have internship managers. They are taught to change and to mature.
I don’t see that actually occurring in the communities where the government offices were devolved.
So how did you review and how did you look into to this to improve this?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes. The way it is set up in each department we ask the departments if they could get an intern.
The departments have to request the interns through our Department of Human Resources, and then the Department of Human Resources would ask the departments if there is a possibility of getting an internship in the department.
Yes, this is going ahead. I think there is an increase of two or four from last year.
We would like beneficiaries to take on the managerial positions. That is our target so that beneficiaries can take over the Government of Nunavut staff.
This is open to all the communities that have received devolution and to other communities.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Thank you for the clarification.
I will be monitoring this because we hear that the individual that are supposed to be teaching beneficiaries, they just work and just try to get the permanent job.
My second question, although I alluded to it to the Minister of Health and Social Services, I do want to bring it up. Back in the Northwest Territories days, the Social Service Worker had qualifications.
The qualifications are still the same. For example, a pilot for a DC-3; I can’t be a pilot for a Boeing 737 jet. It would be senseless.
That individual would not be able to pilot the jet. The community’s knowledge and their traditions, you have to know the community affairs, traditions, that way you can become a good social worker.
They need to be successful in dealing with suicides, especially with the young people, because the social workers cannot understand these individuals.
Once he tries to find out what this individual in Pond Inlet is doing, he gets a psychologist from Toronto, and that individual doesn’t even know how this individual was brought up, how this individual was raised.
So the social worker has no knowledge whatsoever of community residents and this individual works for the government.
Have you considered the qualifications for the communities or for Nunavut? Perhaps you need to use Nunavummiut, or communities.
Human Resources are responsible for services, but the departments, like the Department of Health and Social Services have been given authority to hire medical health professionals.
The Arctic College also hires their own, and the Department of Education.
Human Resources have given them that authority.
Although they have that authority, the Department of Human Resources provides support to the departments.
For example, if Social Services wanted to hire a social worker, we provide assistance to Social Services through interviews.
We have an individual from Human Resources and from the department sit through the interviews.
If we are asked by Health and Social Services to review and help them when they are trying to hire an individual, we are open to providing assistance if we are requested to do so.
If we were requested to look at the job description, we are very open and readily available to provide support.
But mainly the departments are more responsible for the work that I just mentioned for the Department of Health and Social Services, Department of Education, and also the Arctic College, outside of our responsibilities and the services being provided.
Very short time already. I guess my question is, under the Directorate, the policy and qualifications for social workers is very important.
We could have, in this Legislative Assembly; we are told the dress code is suit and tie. It shouldn’t be like that, we said.
We should include traditional clothing too.
Parliamentary systems usually speak English. It shouldn’t be like that. We should be able to speak Inuktitut and have an interpreter.
How is it so hard to come up with a policy requiring social workers to be fluent in Inuktitut, be an elder and know the background of the community and its people in the qualifications?
We are now on Human Resources. The department provides services for all the departments of government. Each department can respond to you, but it is up to you, Mr. Tapardjuk, if you would like to respond.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): The Department of Health and Social Services is responsible for that and also because it is in legislation. They have to abide by the legislation. As long as they don’t amend that legislation, we will continue to do it the way we work with the Department of Human Resources.
We provide support to the departments by way of following the requests of the departments. Perhaps my colleague can respond to Mr. Arvaluk’s question but with the Department of Human Resources we just provide services and assistance because they are legislated.
Therefore, we have to follow their rules.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): I said that was going to be my last question but I still have some.
In D-5, under Directorate, it states (interpretation ends) agreement is up. This department also provides leadership in core areas including, policy research and development, legislative change, financial management, and human resource systems.
Directorate also provides support to the minister by providing briefing statements and response to issues raised in the Legislature, which is here.
I think it is important to note that there has to be research done now as to what qualifications should there be for some of the employment conditions, especially for social workers, teachers, etcetera. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, we are continually reviewing that because there is an article in the Land Claims Agreement that some job descriptions are written as overqualified so we were asked to make sure these qualifications are following the realities.
I think half of the job descriptions have been reviewed, perhaps 80 percent. We still need to review the qualifications. Some positions are requesting qualifications way beyond what the actual qualification should be.
If any of the departments request assistance from our department we have staff that can provide assistance to the departments.
Yes, we are considering this and yes, we are concerned about that, and yes, we are still reviewing it continually.
At this time we’ll take a 20-minute break.
>>Committee recessed at 15:06 and resumed at 15:31
Chairman (interpretation): We can resume our committee meeting. Please return to your seats.
Order. We are on page D-5.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $2,198,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Page D-6.
Staffing. Total Operations and Maintenance.
I thank the minister and his officials for coming in this afternoon.
I have a question on your business plan here; page D-15, under Recruitment and Staffing. Your second bullet down says, “… to manage a fair and transparent recruitment and staffing process.”
I guess my question in that regard is; you monitor all the Government of Nunavut departments and ensure compliance, but my question would be: who monitors the Department of Human Resources to make sure that you’re complying with your hiring practices?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): I will get my Deputy Minister Victor to respond to that question.
Chairman: Victor Tootoo.
Mr. Victor Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the member for the question.
When we have concerns about the staffing process, they normally show up in the form of appeals, and we have appeal committees in each region as well as here at headquarters, and the appeal committees are made up of an independent outside person, as well as somebody in our department who was not involved in the competition.
So, that is the manner in which we normally monitor the transparency and accountability of the staffing process.
One of the areas that I’m concerned about in the government is when it comes to direct appointments of positions.
I would like the minister to explain how the direct appointment process works to ensure that it is done in a fair and transparent manner?
For example, for those who are directly appointed by the Cabinet, we would have to go to the cabinet to make a direct appointment. Say a job has to have a highly educated individual that is going to be directly appointed or the ones that get directly appointed under Article 23 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement we try to do a direct appointment on those people because the department want to have those employees.
We have to consult with the Cabinet Members if there is going to be a direct appointment.
That’s the way it is at the present time and how the department requests someone to go and work for their department.
Minister, could you explain to me how individuals in the government are identified internally to receive a direct appointment?
Mr. Victor Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The majority of the people identified for direct appointment are identified from the department. In a number of cases, they are individuals, and for the majority they are beneficiaries, but they are individuals who, for various different reasons, didn’t win a competition, or are very close to being able to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position but need a little extra help and a little time and training to get into that position.
Departments identify those people, who they have worked with, and normally there is some form of working relationship with those individuals already, and they are interested in furthering the goals of Article 23 in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, and ensuring that we have more beneficiaries in positions, in our civil service, and for also advancing those individuals, beneficiaries along the career path.
Can’t the same objective be achieved by a competition and those individuals apply through the competition process and then go through the interview process, and still give the successful candidate a job?
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Peterson. (interpretation) Minister, for the record please make sure to say who is going to respond to the questions.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): I’ll get Mr. Tootoo to respond to the question.
As I mentioned earlier there are cases where in competitions for positions the beneficiary candidates are not suitable because they didn’t score high enough in the competitions. There are instances where they are very close to passing and the departments have requested that we not go into anything beyond priority 1, land claim beneficiaries. The departments have confidence that the individual with a little bit of training and a little bit of help on the job can fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the position.
That’s why in some cases that is why competitions are cancelled and we proceed with direct employment.
I thank the minister, Mr. Tootoo for that answer.
Another interesting type of method to award jobs to individuals is something called a transfer assignment.
I wonder if the minister could explain, for the record, what a transfer assignment type position is and what it entails for people to be appointed to that job.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, say for instance the people that get a transfer, some of them want to be transferred to another department.
If there was to be a job that the individual can do, they are able to try for the competition. If they want to be transferred to another department for a while because they want to have a change of duties, and go back to the same job they were doing, this option is available to them.
That is what the employee requests.
That is the way it is. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I thank the minister for that information. If I were a government employee with the Government of Nunavut and I was tired of my job and I want to take a break, I just pick out another job in another department and say I want to transfer over there for six months, is that how it works?
It doesn’t seem right to me.
Can you clarify your last statement?
The normal process for a transfer assignment is not a six-month time period. Usually the minimum is one year and definitely the maximum is three years for a transfer assignment.
Employees are not the ones who identify transfer assignment opportunities.
It is management who decides that there is an opportunity to fill a position with a transfer assignment and if there are qualified individuals within the civil service who are valued employees, and we want to ensure they have the opportunity to try a position and still have the option of returning to their old position or a similar one within their old department as a form of job security and as a form of retention and we use that option.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank Mr. Tootoo for that answer.
If there’s a situation in the community where there is a vacant position in a department that a number of employees know about and they are all interested in applying for that job, and they all think they are qualified, but the management decides they see one person in another department and they approach that person, and ask if they are interested in a transfer assignment; then the process kicks in?
But what happens to the three or four other individuals who may have been interested in applying for that job? Perhaps one of them was even more qualified than the individual that went over on a transfer assignment.
How does the process help those people when you state, “manage a fair and accountable recruiting and staffing process”?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, I will also have that question answered by my deputy minister.
The percentage of positions filled by transfer assignments, as opposed to those filled by competition, or some form of competitive process is very small.
It’s the management of the department who bring forward the request for a transfer assignment. It is incumbent upon the management of each department to ensure that the morale in their department is not negatively affected by these forms of staffing.
I can’t speak to the specifics of any particular position. I’m not exactly certain what the member is referring to, but I can say that for the most part that management in the departments are very concerned about retention of their current valued employees.
From my understanding, and my perspective, they have, for the most part, made the best efforts to ensure that their current employees are not negatively affected by these forms of staffing.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank Mr. Tootoo.
Could the minister or Mr. Tootoo tell me; if an individual or individuals were interested in a vacant position that was filled by a transfer assignment, or possibly even a direct appointment, can they appeal those decisions?
My understanding is that if the person is an employee within the Government of Nunavut, and they have a concern about the staffing process, there is an avenue for them to appeal that.
Perhaps just for the record, Mr. Tootoo could clarify what that avenue is. Is it a normal Government of Nunavut appeal process or do they have to write a letter to the minister or a Member of the Legislative Assembly?
The process is not a normal appeal process because the majority of the transfer assignments, I may be mistaken, but I think all of the transfer assignments are for non-unionized positions.
So the process is that employees would write a letter to the Minister of Human Resources to have him address their concerns.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the minister and Mr. Tootoo for that information.
It was useful information.
On page D-16 of your business plan, there is a reference to ongoing priorities for 2006-07; “The casual staffing audit is now completed.