December 15, 1998
(Finance)

The following statement was issued today by Paul Dicks, Minister of Finance and Minister of Justice. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

InfoTel

Today I am pleased to announce the launch of the InfoTel telephone system in Newfoundland and Labrador. InfoTel is a joint federal-provincial initiative that provides information on employment opportunities within the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada.

The federal government has already implemented a telephone system which provides 24-hour access to employment opportunities in the federal public service. The Public Service Commission of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has decided to participate in this project so that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can easily access information regarding advertised positions in both the federal and provincial governments.

As I am sure my colleagues are aware, public competitions are currently posted on Public Service Commission bulletin boards and advertised in newspapers. The Public Service Commission webpage also advertises employment opportunities within the provincial public service. These avenues will remain available. The provincial government remains committed to ensuring that information concerning public employment opportunities is sufficiently advertised and accessible to the public. Job searchers can now access publicly advertised job opportunities on a 24-hour basis.

InfoTel is a good example of partnering between federal and provincial governments. The federal government has absorbed the costs of installation and maintenance of this project. The only cost for the provincial government is for the provision of promotional materials like the brochures which have been distributed in the House today.

I am pleased that we, as a government, are able to increase access to information for public service jobs.

1998 12 15                    2:20 p.m.