Floyd Roland

Thank you, Madam Chairperson. I am pleased to present the Financial Management Board Secretariat's main estimates for the fiscal year 2005-06.

The secretariat's 2005-06 main estimates propose O and M expenditure levels of $30.051 million. This is a reduction of $2.204 million, or 6.8 percent, from the 2004-05 restated main estimates.

These adjustments are due to the following developments:

a $566,000 reduction associated with the elimination of six positions at headquarters;

a $1.238 million reduction associated with the discontinuation of a contribution program that flowed funds to the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the current status we are at right now is there are 15 appeals outstanding around the whole government, around the job evaluation process that was used. In addition to the above, there are 32 health care employees who have filed appeals in that area. So things are moving along. There are a number of appeals that have been filed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I had spoken to this earlier around the work that's going on with the human resource service centres. I have to agree with much of what Ms. Lee has mentioned of the reasons why we want to do this; about the coordination, about staffing, the working together and the opportunities that would provide.

As I stated earlier, the first phase is about the mechanics of this, to make sure we set it up right to get the job done and done appropriately, and, as well, to make sure that we're meeting the timelines that we're supposed to meet. There are too many...

Yes, Mr. Chairman. Again, as we go through this and come up with the work, we’ll be sharing that work with the Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the government does, through another section, regulate honorariums that would be set up for different boards and agencies that would work for us or work under us, but not under this section. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First off, coming from the side that I do on the financial side, if there wasn’t support for the secondary industry from this government, the first and quickest way of cutting our losses would have been to liquidate the operations when this first came up. But as the government has chosen to continue to support the secondary industry, we’ve entered this and requested the courts to step in and have the receiver begin doing their work. The receiver entered into a process of basically going out to tender, putting out a package and having those that were interested...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We’ll have to get that detail for the Member, but again, the way the Power Support Program is run, anybody paying higher than the Yellowknife rate would qualify for the subsidy and that’s the basis that we’re working on here. We’ll get confirmation of that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t believe there’s a need to back off on this one. As we go through the next process, we will be able to get started on it this year coming up and begin that process. So I don’t believe it’s a backing off. It’s a matter of getting started and ensuring we are heading down the right path. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess it’s one thing we can say in the North and the rest of Canada is that the diamond industry is small in our jurisdiction and the word and rumours spread fast about what’s happening. We’re aware there’s significant interest with the operations. As well, the way it’s been working through a court appointed receiver, the receiver will have to make those contacts, look at what the results of those contacts can bring and then advise us of what the potentials are. If there’s a deal to be had, they would recommend a movement on that and whatever deal is...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the Member for that question because it will help clarify the terminology being used. It would be the Yellowknife rate that would be worked with, not the base rate, as the Member has clarified, that exists now in the rates that are adjusted and established by the PUB. It would be the Yellowknife rate and adjustments from that. That’s the policy decision that we’re following. Thank you.