(February 21, 2013) – Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to confirm that the Government of the Northwest Territories has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Union of Northern Workers on procedures for employees to safely disclose allegations of wrongdoing.
I want to be clear that we have always encouraged our employees to feel they could safely disclose information about illegal acts; gross mismanagement of public money or public assets; or substantial and specific dangers to health, safety or the environment. Our staff are our most valuable resource. We trust them and respect their judgment. When they suspect wrongdoing, we want them to let us know so we can investigate and take appropriate actions.
What is new is that the Memorandum of Agreement sets out a process for this kind of disclosure, building on existing processes. There were times when employees may not have been sure who to contact with their concerns. We will create a safe disclosure coordinator; and a safe disclosure panel that will report annually. This process would be useful for other public servants who are not covered by the UNW Collective Agreement, and the GNWT supports extending it to them.
Mr. Speaker, this agreement demonstrates what can be accomplished when the GNWT and its partners work collaboratively to reach a common goal. As part of the 2012 Collective Bargaining process, the Union of Northern Workers and the GNWT established a Joint Committee to work together to reach unanimous recommendations on safe disclosure processes. I want to commend both the UNW and GNWT representatives for aligning our interests and reaching agreement so constructively.
This Memorandum of Agreement comes into effect on April 1. It will become part of the Collective Agreement and will remain so until the Legislative Assembly passes legislation on safe disclosure. Our government remains committed to the creation of public service disclosure legislation that will apply to all public servants during the life of the 17th Assembly.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.