Herb Mathisen
Northern News Services
Published Monday, June 02, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - Regular MLAs have been firmly against job cuts, but Thursday they contributed to them.

Six regular MLAs voted against the budget in second reading and the others supported it only to debate it. They have been voting together unanimously to delete lines from it and to recommend the reinstatement of funds in specific areas, with the budget now in committee.

Two of the proposed reductions, however, are embarrassingly against their goals.

In voting to delete $942,000 from adding 10 court services positions to the Department of Justice, three positions, already in place, were cut.

"Last year in a supplementary appropriation, justice put forward a case for 10 additional court officers... and four were positions to be filled in 2007/'08, and six in 08/'09," said Don Cooper, deputy minister.

"The entire budget was deleted for the 10 positions, and three of those have currently been filled," said Cooper. Two of those positions are in Yellowknife and one in Hay River.

"So as a result of the motion, we will have to, in effect, lay off three people," said Cooper.

Robert Hawkins, MLA for Yellowknife Centre, said MLAs were "misinformed" in passing the motion.

Robert McLeod, MLA for Inuvik Twin Lakes, said it was a case of "miscommunication."

McLeod had originally introduced the motion, because he said he believed the new positions were being created to take positions away from smaller communities.

McLeod said members were not aware three jobs would be lost.

"They did not share that with us during our committee briefings," said McLeod."

"These were positions that were proposed in this particular budget," said McLeod. "For them to tell us after the fact, after the vote, that there were three of them filled, I thought that was inappropriate."

"If they didn't know, they didn't know," said Cooper. "I don't believe we were asked. Maybe it wasn't obvious or apparent in the main (estimates), but it's unfortunate."

As well, a committee motion was passed eliminating $161,000 for devolution discussions. One lawyer position will be reduced as a result.

The budget does not come into effect until it is approved in third reading and then given assent by the Commissioner of the NWT.