Where have all the deputy ministers gone?

Liberal Leader Sandy Silver wants to know their whereabouts.

Or, better yet, why have they gone, and how much did they get in severance pay?

According to the Klondike MLA, “an unprecedented number” of deputy ministers have left the government during the Yukon Party’s current mandate, which began in 2011.

By his count, 10 have exited their offices since 2014.

“Some have quit, some have been fired and some have retired. This turnover comes with a cost to the taxpayer,” Silver noted to the legislature Tuesday.

“How much money has been paid out to cover severance packages for the 10 deputy ministers who have left this government since July 2014?” he asked.

The government is tight-lipped on all staffing matters.

Spokespeople from various departments, including the Public Service Commission, which handles human resources for the government, would not say why so many deputy ministers left nor how much they were paid in severance, when questioned by the Star.

“When it comes to matters of human resource and those types of issues, we don’t usually comment and provide the information that members are talking about,” Currie Dixon, the minister responsible for the commission, said during Tuesday’s question period.

Severance packages are “not typically disclosed” either, he said.

Dixon said previous Liberal and NDP governments took the same approach.

Deputy ministers are hired, moved about and dismissed at the discretion of the premier.

In March, the Star reported there were about a dozen changes to Darrell Pasloski’s most senior staff in the past year – far more than the comings and goings that occurred over that time frame in previous governments.

“Deputy ministers serve at the privilege of the premier, and, from time to time, they come and go as needed,” said Dixon.

But Silver said the government should be accountable to Yukoners who fund government salaries.

“When the premier hires deputy ministers, then fires them, there’s a cost to the taxpayer – hundreds of thousands of dollars each time that this happens,” said Silver.

“It doesn’t inspire much confidence in the leader of government when there’s turnover at a senior level of staff.”

Liberal party spokesperson Jason Cunning said if Silver is elected premier in the pending election, severance deals would be made public.

“We think that the public deserves to know what those numbers are, and we’d make those numbers available,” he said.

Other jurisdictions in Canada publicize the names, positions and salaries of public sector workers making over $100,000.

So-called “sunshine lists” exist in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and other provinces.

In the Yukon, this information is hidden from the public.

Would the Liberals draft a sunshine list once elected?

Cunning said this is something that would have to be discussed with the Yukon Employees Union, which represents territorial government employees.

“I don’t know that we can unilaterally do that,” he said.