Thank you, Madam Chair. One of my concerns is that we have no specific Minister appointed for public engagement and transparency in the 19th Assembly. I know the Premier has provided some previous comments on this. We're working to be open across all departments. One of my concerns is that we're all busy and that, without assigning a responsibility, we run into that accountability piece as our job as Regular Members. I guess I'll begin with having policies. Has the open government policy been fully implemented, and, if not, what remains to be done?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will allow Martin Goldney to answer that question. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The policy is in the process of being implemented. There is still work to be done to review some of our documents to make sure that they are made publicly available, so, categorizing what can be made more accessible and put online, that's work that is still underway. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I look forward to seeing that policy, and I hope it is implemented sooner rather than later. Jumping to the larger questions, we have UNDRIP implementation in our mandate. I've asked a number of questions on this. I guess I see that there is the intention to form a working group to implement UNDRIP, but perhaps I could ask the Premier to provide an update of how we are making sure that all departments are involved in this and that all government policies and legislation will be updated as a result of the wide breadth of coverage that is UNDRIP?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The first thing that I did when I took the position of Premier is I contacted all of our Indigenous governments that are involved in devolution. I spoke to them all about the priority of UNDRIP within this Legislative Assembly. I committed to each of them that we would work together to define what UNDRIP looked like to the Indigenous governments.
At each bilateral meeting, and I think that we have done three or four or five -- I'm not sure; life is moving pretty fast -- at each bilateral meeting that we have had with Cabinet, where all Ministers are in attendance, I have also reinforced that this government will be implementing UNDRIP and, again, reinforcing that we will be doing that in partnership. As we move forward and we define what that looks like, Ministers will be given solid direction to make sure that they implement that throughout their departments. That is my commitment. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate that the Premier is committed to do this and has brought it to multiple Indigenous governments at the bilaterals. I heard there that we are going to go out, we're going to receive the information, and then provide departments direction. Can I just clarify if, at the present moment, Ministers have been directed to, within their own departments, review the UNDRIP sections that apply to them, and then bring that to EIA?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That is a discussion we haven't yet had as a Cabinet. We will be having it, though; I will commit to that, as well. However, I need to reinforce that the implementation of UNDRIP, if we do this right, is not done by departments of the Government of the Northwest Territories; it is done in consultation -- not even consultation. It is done in partnership with the Indigenous governments. Until the Indigenous governments tell us what they want, what that looks like, I feel, Madam Chair, respectfully, that it would be inappropriate for myself to give direction to departments to start reviewing it, because that does give the perception that we are defining what it will look like beforehand. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Are there any further comments? No further questions? Member for Yellowknife -- Frame Lake, sorry.
Thanks. After a while, we all look the same. Thanks, Madam Chair. I think that this is the part of Executive and Indigenous Affairs where board appointments are, sort of, tracked and so on. I do want to commend even the previous government did a better job at making sure that there was gender balance in our appointments to GNWT committees, boards, and councils, but what we saw in the last Assembly was a trend towards appointment of deputy ministers -- I guess, sometimes they're government employees, and sometimes they're not -- to boards. What is the plan for this Cabinet, moving forward? Are we going to see those Cabinet Ministers phased out of board appointments and public governance restored? What is the general approach, moving forward? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Our department has just compiled a recent list of all of the board vacancies, throughout not only the Northwest Territories but federal departments, as well. We will be sharing that with Ministers. We will be giving direction that a gender-plus analysis be looked at within those board appointments. In the last Assembly, I must say that, when I was the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, I was adamant on every single appointment. When they were being appointed, I was asking, "Is it a woman, and if it's not a woman, why is it not a woman?" Those are conversations we are still bringing up. Is it a woman? Is it Indigenous? Is it a stakeholder? Is it the right person for the position? We will continue to do that.
I am more than willing to review all board appointments, because that is something that we need to do. Not only are we looking at a gender-plus analysis, but we are also looking at terms to make sure that the rotation is correct. There is quite a bit of work that we are doing with our board appointments, and we will continue to do that throughout our term of this government. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I want to thank the Minister for that response. She dealt with everything except the issue of deputy ministers being appointed to serve on boards. We saw, I think, a troubling trend of that in the last Assembly, the public board for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation was replaced by deputy ministers. Aurora College, that board was removed. What are the Premier's plans, moving forward, with restoring public governance to some of these key corporations and boards, moving forward? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Sometimes I do speak a bit fast. I had sandwiched it in there, but I'll be a little bit more concise. We are committed to reviewing all boards, and that would include the boards that deputy ministers do sit on. As for the other board that was brought up by the Member, that would be the Aurora College board; there is a framework, a timeline, that the applicable Minister is looking at within that. Those are questions, if you wanted more detail, that would be appropriate for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I want to thank the Premier for that response. It's good to hear that board governance is something that is under review. I'm just curious; the deputy ministers who are sitting on boards, do they receive any instructions from Ministers in terms of what they are to do on those boards, or are they at least at arm's length? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. My own Deputy Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs does sit on that board, and I just asked him, "Have you ever received instructions?" and he said, "Never," so they are unfettered in direction from any Cabinet Ministers. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Well, great to get that firsthand experience right at the table. I am still a little bit skeptical. Look, I appreciate that, but I just think that those deputy ministers are put into a very difficult situation, where they have full-time employment and then they're doing this on the side. I just don't think it's fair to our deputy ministers, either. I take the Minister's commitment to review this, moving forward, and I am sure that Members of this House will continue to remind her of that commitment and look to see progress on it. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Did you have anything further? All right. Any other questions? Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to talk about those board appointments as well. I do have a problem with them. I guess it's hard for me to understand that the DMs -- I suspect they have a lot of work; probably a full-time job. To sit on the board and, I guess, kind of, give direction to, say, it's the Power Corporation or whoever; I don't believe that's working. I don't think that they can give good advice.
I know that they all have experience in certain areas. Some of them probably have no idea about utilities, for instance. They probably try and do their best. I'll give them that. I think that it's important that we actually look at putting people on there who do have the experience. If we want to move forward with trying to lower rates and do a better job in education with our power rates, we need people on there who know what they're doing. I guess that's more of a comment that I wanted to make, as well.
I do have a question on page 109. Public utility boards; I see that our actual was $332,000, and in the main estimates, it's $452,000, so it's a little better than $100,000. I know that it's not a lot of money, so what was the purpose for that little increase?
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The revised estimates from 2019-2020 was for $448,000. The main estimates this year is $452,000, a difference of $4,000. That is the forced growth, regarding the union negotiations. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you. I guess I’d just clarify that. I was just looking at actuals for 2018-2019, and we jumped up to $448,000 and then the main estimates show $452,000. I’m just wondering what is the difference between the $332,000 and where that comes in. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I apologize for not listening as well as I should have. Ms. Amy Kennedy would take the question. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Okay, sorry. Ms. Kennedy.
Madam Chair, the difference between the 2018-2019 actuals and the 2020-2021 Main Estimates is a result of lower contract costs, legal services, and consultation costs required by the Public Utilities Board in 2018-2019, so they actually underspent the budget, and that’s what is reflected there.
Thank you, Ms. Kennedy. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Basically, I guess what happened, there weren't any hearings, or kind of, in that year, I suspect. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That is correct. There were fewer applications in that year.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With respect to the Public Utilities Board, what are they responsible for? I know they’re responsible for the utilities, so I suspect the Power Corporation, NUL; how about say, for instance, Superior Propane, with respect to delivering gas within the communities? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Public Utilities Board is responsible for regulating utilities that, because of an absence of competition, really have a monopoly position, so it’s the Public Utilities Board’s job to make sure that the rates that they’re charging are carefully considered and fair and provide a fair return on investment. I mean their job is really to play the role of a market, to make sure that the rates are fair and well considered. They don’t regulate Superior Propane or Bluewave, where there is that competition and that free market available to set prices. It’s really just where there isn’t the free market available to set prices, because these utilities have to operate at such a scale that they’re essentially monopolies. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Goldney. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That’s all.
Thank you. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a couple of questions. One of them is: a couple of weeks ago I did a Member’s statement on deputy ministers on boards. I, too, feel very strongly that, if you’re going to be accountable and transparent and arm's-length, the board has to be neutral. It’s the only way to go. There has to be input from various regions of the public to sit on these boards, and we have a lot of external people who are not in government, who will sit and give the perspective of the people of the Northwest Territories, and that’s extremely important. For me, I would ask the Premier to consider that and give us a date as to when, actually, this will start happening.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Madam Premier?
