Mr. Bromley; Mr. Abernethy; Mr. Ramsay; Mrs. Groenewegen; Mr. Beaulieu; Mr. Hawkins; Mr. Jacobson; Ms. Bisaro; Mr. Lafferty; Ms. Lee; Mr. Miltenberger; Mr. Roland; Mr. McLeod, Deh Cho; Mr. McLeod, Inuvik Twin Lakes; Mr. McLeod, Yellowknife South; Mr. Krutko.
Thank you. All those opposed to the motion, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand.
Results of the motion: in favour, 16; against, zero; abstaining, zero. The motion is carried unanimously.
---Carried
---Applause
Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 4-16(5), Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project; Tabled Document 30-16(5), 2010 Review of Members’ Compensation and Benefits; Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits – What We Heard; Tabled Document 62-16(5), Northwest Territories Water Stewardship Strategy; Tabled Document 75-16(5), Response to the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project on the Federal and Territorial Governments’ Interim Response to “Foundation for a Sustainable Northern Future;” Tabled Document 98-16(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2009-2010; Tabled Document 99-16(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 5, 2009-2010; Tabled Document 100-16(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2010-2011; Tabled Document 101-16(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2010-2011; Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act; Committee Report 3-16(5), Standing Committee on Social Programs Report on the Review of the Child and Family Services Act; and Minister’s Statement 65-16(5), Devolution Agreement-in-Principle, Impact on Land Claims and Protection of Aboriginal Rights, with Mr. Krutko in the chair.
I call Committee of the Whole to order. Items in Committee of the Whole today are: tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 75, 98, 99, 100, 101, Bill 4, Committee Report 3-16(5), and Minister’s Statement 65-16(5). What is the wish of Committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee today would like to proceed with table documents 98, 99, 100 and 101, please. Thank you.
Committee agree?
Agreed.
Okay. With that, we’ll begin with Tabled Document 99-16(5) after our break. Thank you.
---SHORT RECESS
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. Prior to the break, we agreed we’d begin with tabled documents 98, 99 and 100. So at this time, I’d like to ask the Minister responsible for the bill if he has any comments. Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2009-2010. This document outlines an increase of $29.284 million for operations expenditures for departmental over-expenditures in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
During the year-end process to finalize the GNWT financial statements, adjustments are typically made to department expenditures to ensure the statements are prepared in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles. The 2009-2010 year-end process identified a number of adjustments that result in departments exceeding their appropriation authority.
Section 36(4) of the Financial Administration Act states that the Minister of Finance shall submit an appropriation in the form of a supplementary appropriation bill to the Legislative Assembly to finance any departmental over-expenditures resulting from the year-end process.
Therefore, appropriation authority is being sought for adjustments in the following two categories of over-expenditures:
Appropriation authority totalling $25.5 million to account for the reallocation of previously expended capital investment expenditures to operations expenditures. The net financial impact on government operations is nil as the transaction does not represent any additional outlay.
$3.8 million to fund departments who over-expended their approved operations expenditures appropriations in the 2009-2010 year and thus require appropriation authority for the over-expenditures as required by the Financial Administration Act. These over-expenditures result from accounting adjustments made after year-end.
I’m prepared to review the details of the supplementary appropriation document. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. At this time, I’d like to ask the Minister if he’ll be bringing in any witnesses.
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Is committee agreed the Minister brings in his witnesses?
Agreed.
Agreed. Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in.
Mr. Minister, for the record, can you introduce your witnesses?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have Ms. Margaret Melhorn, deputy minister of Finance; and Sandy Kalgutkar, deputy secretary to the FMB.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Welcome, witnesses. Any general comments with regard to Supplementary Appropriation, No. 4?
Detail.
Committee agree? Detail?
Agreed.
You can turn to page 3. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This section deals with the increased costs incurred by the Department of Human Resources to address the backlog and that has been a long-standing concern of the House. I’m wondering where are we at in addressing the backlog in the Department of Human Resources and can we anticipate further costs and further our actions in place to prevent a similar huge backlog accumulating again. Thank you.
Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There is work underway. There was a backlog identified as of September 10, 2010, of 1,820 outstanding pay issues. There’s been work to reduce that. As of September 27th, they whittled that number down to 1,400.
There is work underway on all aspects of the Human Resources mandate to address the various problems that have been identified.
I know that there are still issues of employee satisfaction in the department and these are brought to my attention. I think that shows some progress if the net has dropped from 1,800 to 1,400, but it’s a pretty modest progress. Again, we’ve been dealing with this for much longer than the Minister had indicated. I guess I’ll leave it at that and just highlight my concerns that we need to show better progress than this. We need to demonstrate that things are in place to prevent further accumulations at the same time that we’re working to clear up this backlog.
We’ve listened closely to the Member’s concerns and cautions and accept them in the spirit in which they were intended.
Page 3, Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2009-2010, Human Resources, operations expenditures, management and recruitment, not previously authorized, $787,000.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $787,000.
Agreed.
Page 4, Public Works and Services, operations expenditures, asset management, not previously authorized, $5.028 million.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $5.028 million.
Agreed.
Page 5, Health and Social Services, operations expenditures, health services programs, not previously authorized, $19.131 million.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $19.131 million.
Agreed.
Page 6, Justice, operations expenditures, court services, not previously authorized, $1.098 million.
Agreed.
Community justice and corrections, not previously authorized, $317,000.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $1.415 million.
Agreed.
Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditures, education and culture, not previously authorized, $2.923 million.
Agreed.
Total department, not previously authorized, $2.923 million.
Agreed.
Does committee agree that we’ve concluded Tabled Document 98-16(5)? Mr. Bromley.
