David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess I could have asked this question previously under the active position summary for the entire department, but I’ll ask it under intergovernmental relations. In the past, the committee has brought up the fact that the department has been low in its number of aboriginal employees and senior management. I am just wondering if the Minister could update us on the strides the department has made, if any, in the area of aboriginal people in senior management within the department. Specifically, because we are on this page, Mr. Chairman, intergovernmental relations...

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Miltenberger.

I understand that if we budget it though at, say, $100,000 for starters and got $100,000 commitment from the federal government, that might be a better way to do it right up front instead of coming back through a supplementary appropriation. Then that gets the federal government to make a commitment to those dollars. Just another way to look at it, because if we go with a supplementary appropriation, the funding from the federal government, I am not sure when that might arrive, whether it is on the calendar year or the fiscal year or however they have that set up, Mr. Chairman, but this would...

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. We’re on page 5-26, Finance, activity summary, office of the comptroller general, grants and contributions, contributions, $14.085 million.

Thank you, Mr .Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure has reviewed Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Commissioner’s Land Act. The committee wishes to report that Bill 5 is now ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you.

We’ll move on to page 5-8, Finance, department summary, information item, infrastructure investment summary.

I am just wondering what role the Government of the Northwest Territories has in the census support. The federal government is responsible, I believe, for census in the Northwest Territories and I am just wondering why we would be paying, I guess to hold their hand, when they go to the communities or make sure that they get accurate numbers, if it is accurate numbers, that is something that I can understand, because we want the numbers to be as accurate as possible. So who would be doing that? Are we going to hire somebody to do that or is it going to be... Actually, the best thing would be to...

Page 5-26, Finance, activity summary, office of the comptroller general, grants and contributions, contributions, $14.085 million. Mr. Bromley.

I wanted to follow up on that and I just wanted to get some clarity here so that I’m sure how this works and the public is sure how it works. Who ultimately makes the call on hiring a former deputy minister through a sole-source contract? Is it the other deputy minister, their former colleague, or is it the Minister of the department that makes that call, Mr. Speaker? I just wanted to be clear on that question. Thank you.

Thanks, committee. We’re on the Department of Finance, general comments. Are there any other general comments? Does committee agree to go to detail?