David Ramsay

Mr. Chairman, I’m just wondering if the department’s done any analysis on what I would consider a growing problem, and that is stress leave and extended medical leave by employees, and whether you can trace some of this stress leave or extended medical leave back to departments. If we can correlate the use of stress leave and medical leave back to some departments, I think we need to examine the root causes of employees needing extended periods of time away from work.

I find this type of leave being more and more necessary, and employees having to go to doctors and get doctors’ certificates for...

Mr. Chairman, I thank the Minister for that. Under the title "Quality Assurance — Monitors and evaluates human resource services and activities to ensure delivery supports effective human resource management. Provides guidance and feedback on human resource processes and procedures." I'm wondering: how was quality assurance employed when it came to the staffing reductions that the government is embarking upon?

I'd like to speak today about Stanton Territorial Hospital. There continue to be many issues at play at Stanton that throughout this session I will be addressing in an attempt to get some answers from the Minister as to what exactly is happening at that hospital.

In speaking to health care professionals on the front line, I find there seems to be a constant disconnect between the positions that are available at the hospital and the continued reliance on agency nurses. Are we not interested in hiring more nurses who live here? Why wouldn't we look at increasing the float pool at Stanton? And, Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under the Human Resource Strategy and Policy what policies were used when the government was conducting its reduction exercise and targeting positions government-wide? I'm just wondering what policies were put in place or what policies were used in determining whether or not a position should be reduced.

We’re all interested in this reduction exercise that took place and the notification letters that went out to employees. Between the time the letters went out and Regular Members actually found out exactly which positions were being impacted and affected — it took approximately three weeks to find out. Mr. Chairman, my question for the Minister is: why did it take three weeks? What was happening in that three-week time frame? We were left answering calls and concerns from our constituents in that three-week time frame without any knowledge of what was happening. I’d like to know what was...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is perhaps the appropriate place to ask some questions, considering the directorate provides leadership and direction to the department and is under the authority of the Minister. Getting back to the notification letters that went out to the affected employees, I want to get a better understanding of what advice the Department of Human Resources gave to the Minister and gave to Cabinet that would see those letters go out. Was the advice to send the letters out or not send the letters out?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister proposing that somewhere down the line the government comes forward with a supplementary appropriation for 20-some-odd million dollars to bail the hospital out in terms of what they paid in payroll for six months? How long is this going to continue to be allowed to happen?

I didn’t really hear a response there. It’s pretty much a yes-or-no question. Did Human Resources give Cabinet advice and recommendations on the staffing reductions? Yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, I’m well aware that appropriation Bill 4 is going to be before the House. I wanted to ask some questions today about the $11.5 million. I want to find out what the government’s plan is to address that $11.5 million. The Minister has said it herself: they do have a plan. I know what that plan is. I guess we’ll leave it for further on in this session, to discuss that $11.5 million in the government’s plan. I do agree with the Minister: the hospital does provide a valuable service to the residents in the territory. I’m not debating that. I’m debating the management. I want to address...

That begs the question: why do we even have a Department of Human Resources, then? Maybe we should just have a department of labour relations or something. If it’s all being delegated back to the departments, what are we even doing here, Mr. Chairman?