Yes, I do, Mr. Chair.
Go ahead. Mr. McLeod.
I am pleased to be here today to present the Department of Executive’s 2013-2014 Main Estimates.
In 2013-2014, the Department of Executive has identified a total operations budget of $20.464 million. There is a net decrease of approximately 10.5 percent from the 2012-2013 Main Estimates. As noted, this decrease is primarily associated with the sunset of devolution negotiations funding. Once a final Devolution Agreement is signed, the level of implementation activity and the required funding for 2013-2014 will increase significantly from the $6.071 million currently projected but will be offset by federal funding of $22.5 million, much of which we will receive in the 2013-2014 fiscal year.
The main estimates state that the department will have 83 active positions in 2013-2014. This represents a net increase of three positions from our 2012-2013 Main Estimates related primarily to the addition of three new government service officer positions.
The mandate of the Department of Executive is to provide overall management and direction to the executive branch of Government. This is done through the co-ordination, planning, and evaluation of cross-governmental initiatives; providing support for evidence-based decision making; ensuring consistent corporate communication; and co-ordinating implementation of strategic initiatives that advance the priorities of the 17th Legislative Assembly, as well as tracking and reporting on the government’s priorities.
The Department of Executive’s 2013-2014 Main Estimates highlights a transition year for our department as well as for the Government of the Northwest Territories and Northwest Territories as a whole. In the coming weeks, we anticipate finalizing a resource revenue sharing agreement, which sets out how resource revenues will be shared with participating Aboriginal governments; a Northwest Territories intergovernmental agreement on lands and resources management, which will establish a government-to-government relationship between the Government of the Northwest Territories and participating Aboriginal governments, allowing for greater co-operation in land and resource management; and the Northwest Territories lands and resources Devolution Agreement itself with Canada, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Northwest Territory Metis Nation, the Sahtu Secretariat, the Gwich’in Tribal Council, and the Tlicho Government.
The political evolution of our territory through the devolution of land and resource management has been a goal for the last 30 years. It is appropriate at this time to recognize the efforts, perseverance, and dedication of the many people who worked on devolution over the years and have brought us closer than ever to achieving this long-standing goal.
This Assembly’s past support for preliminary investments in implementation planning will serve us well as we move fully into finalizing our planning and, ultimately, implementing these long-awaited authorities.
As I stated earlier, in the 2013-2014 Main Estimates, you will note the shift in focus and resources from devolution negotiations to implementation planning. Negotiations funding of $3.230 million will sunset, and implementation planning activity will increase.
As you know, under the AIP, the Government of the Northwest Territories is eligible for funding of $22.5 million between the signing of the final agreement and the planned effective date. This funding will help to support implementation planning in areas such as organizational design, drafting the suite of anticipated legislation that will need to be mirrored in order to transfer authorities from the Parliament of Canada to this Legislative Assembly, property and asset transfers, human resource planning and staffing, waste site evaluation, as well as a completion of a number of required sub-agreements and, of course, our ongoing communication efforts.
As well as devolution, there are several other areas where the Department of Executive is taking the lead in supporting the priorities of the 17th Assembly.
Through the development and implementation of the Government of the Northwest Territories land use and sustainability framework, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure responsible stewardship through our land and resource management regime in order to build a strong and sustainable future. This work will support the proposed intergovernmental council proposed in the devolution intergovernmental land and resources agreement that will bring the Government of the Northwest Territories and partner Aboriginal governments together to build a stronger, more harmonized system of land and resource management in the Northwest Territories.
As Premier, I have worked with my federal counterparts to emphasize the need for our governments to work closely together. As part of our efforts under the land use and sustainability framework, we have developed an approach we call Northern Lands Northern Leadership. This approach highlights the need for both governments to acknowledge and adapt to the new role of the Government of the Northwest Territories as a leader in land and resource management decisions.
An important part of our commitment to the people of the Northwest Territories is to strengthen and build relationships. Our regional directors chair the regional management committees and work with other departments to help co-ordinate Government of the Northwest Territories participation in many significant regional projects such as Mackenzie Valley fibre optic link, Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway, Sahtu oil and gas readiness, Northern mineral workforce development, natural gas supply in Norman Wells, and Inuvik Gas Project.
Building on the overwhelming positive feedback we have received, and in support of our decentralization efforts, the Department of Executive is pleased to announce that the 2013-2014 Main Estimates proposes to establish three new government service officers in the communities of Wrigley and Fort Resolution. This year we were able to staff the position in Tsiigehtchic, but for reporting purposes, this is identified as part of the 2013-2014 Main Estimates. These positions provide services directly to residents in their communities, sometimes in their homes, and in their Aboriginal language. They provide local employment and promote an efficient one-stop shopping approach for many government programs. It is our intention to look at ways to continue to expand this program to more communities and into new areas of e-business.
The Department of Executive provides short-term support to non-governmental organizations that deliver critical Government of the Northwest Territories funded programs and services through the NGO Stabilization Fund. The total amount of support available annually is $350,000. A process has been put in place to ensure contribution decisions are communicated to applicants no later than two months after the application deadline and funds are provided by the end of the summer.
Building, strengthening, and diversifying our economy is important to the people of the Northwest Territories. We need an efficient and effective regulatory system that supports responsible and sustainable development and that will serve Northerners well after devolution. We will continue to work with the Aboriginal and federal governments to improve regulatory processes the Northwest Territories will inherit post-devolution.
The Department of Executive also works with other departments through the established committees of cabinet and includes the re-establishment of the Committee on Sustainability of Rural and Remote Communities.
Through these committees, the department helps support initiatives in many priority areas such as mental health and addictions planning, the Anti-Poverty Strategy, Economic Opportunities Strategy, Mineral Development Strategy, energy planning, land management, and major infrastructure projects.
The 2013-2014 Main Estimates identifies additional resources of $425,000 for the 2014 community survey that will be undertaken by the Northwest Territories Bureau of Statistics. The survey is done every five years. It collects information on housing, language, education, labour force activities, and traditional activities. It is important to have current and quality data from individuals and communities in order to make informed, evidence-based program and policy decisions. This is a project that benefits all departments, community and Aboriginal governments, and all of us as Members of the Legislative Assembly, as well as allowing us to monitor overall progress towards the goals of the 17th Assembly.
The Department of Executive continues to focus on improving accountability across government. For the first time, ministerial mandate letters were posted publicly in January 2012, and in the coming weeks, I will be reporting the results achieved in our first year under those mandates.
Building on our accountabilities, 2013-2014 will mark the introduction of the program review office’s three-year work plan, which was developed in collaboration and with input from all departments and the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. The work plan prioritizes the reviews, which will be conducted over the next three years.
This concludes my opening remarks. I look forward to answering any questions the committee may have. Thank you.
Thank you, Premier McLeod. Do you have witnesses you’d like to bring into the House today?
Yes, I do.
Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Sergeant-at-Arms, would you please escort the witnesses in. Thank you.
Premier McLeod, can you please introduce your witnesses to the House today?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my left I have Penny Ballantyne, the deputy minister of Executive and secretary to Cabinet. To my right I have Lisa Turner, director of Finance with the Department of Executive. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Premier McLeod. Ms. Turner, Mrs. Ballantyne, welcome to the House this evening. Committee, general comments.
Detail.
I am hearing detail. Committee, we will defer 2-7. If I can get committee to turn to 2-8, Executive, information item, infrastructure investment summary. Any questions?
Agreed.
Thank you. Page 2-9, Executive, information item, revenue summary. Are there any questions?
Agreed.
Thank you. Page 2-10, Executive, information item, active position summary. Are there any questions?
Agreed.
Page 2-13, Executive, activity summary, directorate, operations expenditure summary. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know that this division hosts the office of devolution. I am wondering, anticipating that we must be nearing a devolution draft agreement, what is the budget in here for public consultation should our draft agreement get signed in the near future or whenever? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Premier McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We haven’t finalized the exact number, but it will come out of the $22.5 million that we will be receiving from the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. What else will that $22.5 million be expected to cover as well as the public consultation aspect? Thank you.
Mr. Chair, it will cover a number of different things: the IT systems, also the planning processes for organization, and also the hiring and job offers and positions that will have to be staffed. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, I am sure that the Premier can relate when I tell him that I have seen IT eat up a lot more than $22.5 million in a year. I am concerned that we have the participation of our public in this agreement, as the Premier knows. He has listed quite a list of demands on this $22.5 million. None of those were small expenditures.
How are we going to ensure that there is enough public consultation dollars? I say this knowing that the Premier has stated publicly that we are a public consulting government, a leader in North America I think he said on that front. I appreciate that. We obviously have quite the diversity out there. That is our responsibility. Thank you.
Mr. Chair, we are not neophytes in devolution. We have been involved in devolution for 30 years. Devolution is the administrative transfer of programs from the federal government to the Government of the Northwest Territories. We are finalizing our communications strategy. There will be unprecedented consultation and public engagement with this particular devolution.
Certainly, we have been doing implementation planning for at least the past three or four years, so we are confident that the resources that are identified will be sufficient to allow us to have unprecedented engagement and consultation approach. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, I guess that just elevates my concern here. I know the Premier is aware of how much consultation costs. I certainly am aware that we are not neophytes at devolution. I think that our public might be in that they have not been involved in the massive discussions and consultations that have been going on. That’s where my concern comes from, is that we’d be sure to bring them along with us on this historic development.
If we’re going to do an unprecedented level of involvement, I would expect an unprecedented level of cost, thus my concern. Would the Premier be expecting to supplement if the overlapping demands on this budget didn’t leave enough for an unprecedented level of consultation? Thank you.
Mr. Chair, I would like to remind the Member that we have been at it for 12 years, and this latest round we have been to every community several times. We do have our Aboriginal partners that have been very active in this area. We have been to every community. We have also been with Aboriginal governments. We have briefed; we have fulfilled every request. It is our expectation that the resources that we have will allow us to do the job and meet the requirements for consultation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, I guess I will leave it at that. I will maybe ask the Premier to bring his plan forward for committee to comment on. I guess I wish I had the confidence he had. I know we have lots of experience at this and, on that basis, I know we know how costly it is. I do want to acknowledge that Aboriginal governments have been very much involved, and I appreciate the opportunity for them to be at the table and keep their people updated. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for 50 percent of the people in the Northwest Territories, so somebody needs to speak for those people. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I didn’t hear a question in there, but we’ll allow Premier McLeod to respond.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member can look forward to seeing our draft communication strategy and I don’t agree with his assessment that nobody has been in contact with anybody else that is not part of an Aboriginal government. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Moving on to questions on 2-13 I have Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to follow up a bit on sort of the same vein as some of the questions that Mr. Bromley was asking. I heard the Minister say that there will be consultation and public engagement. I’d like to just ask the Minister what the difference is between those two terms. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Premier McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Engagement is where we will be going to the communities, and describing and advising the public about the Devolution Agreement. Consultation is the legal requirement that is associated with Aboriginal governments that have land claims and treaty rights. Thank you.
Thanks to the Premier for that. So if the consultation is only being done because of a legal requirement for Aboriginal governments, am I right in assuming, then, that non-Aboriginal peoples will not be consulted? They will simply be provided with information. Is that correct? Thank you.
Thank you. I think we’re getting hung up on semantics, but the results will be the same. Thank you.
I don’t understand the answer. Perhaps the Minister can explain.
We will be presenting with the same information, except with the Aboriginal governments we’ll have the Aboriginal governments participating as well. Thank you.
Thank you. I’m just trying to understand and I have, unfortunately, the same sort of opinion as Mr. Bromley does, that there’s a large percentage of half of our population who don’t have an opportunity to be “consulted,” what I see, in my mind, as consulting. So it sounds to me as though 50 percent of our population is not going to have the ability to say yes or no to this agreement. I guess I would just like to know from the Premier if he thinks that’s an accurate assessment. Thank you.
As I already indicated to MLA Bromley, I don’t agree that’s an accurate assessment. Thank you.
Thanks, at least that’s clear. I want to also talk a bit about devolution, and I think the Minister referenced figures in here, or else I saw it in the budget somewhere, but the money for negotiations will be reduced, but we’re also working on implementation for once this agreement has been reached and things are signed off. So it’s a general question in terms of implementation. I know it’s been worked on within this current budget year. So how are things going? Basically, are we going to get everything done? I think the target date is April 1st of 2014. Is everything going to be done by then? Thank you.
Thank you. There’s going to be a substantial amount of work that will have to be done. We’ve already been at implementation for over a year and also what we do will have to dovetail with the federal government, and the Government of Canada has assured us on several occasions that a transfer date of April 1, 2014, will be achieved once we get a deal. Thank you.
Thanks to the Minister for that. So one of the things that I think has been mentioned already is the legislation that is required. We have to mirror the federal legislation and take it on ourselves. So I know that preparation of legislation takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of work. Will we need to be hiring legislative drafters in order to get all the legislation ready for April 1st? I know that our Justice department is pretty backed up right now with regular legislation, so to speak. So this added burden, in my mind, requires more bodies. So is that the case? Thank you.
Thank you. We have already hired legislative drafters specifically to provide for the 24 statutes and acts that we have to deal with to make devolution happen. Thank you.
Thanks to the Premier for that. So, good to hear.
I wanted to just ask a question about the numbers that are on this page. Compensation and benefits are reduced from the current budget year to ‘13-14 and I note at the bottom of the page devolution implementation, I guess it’s about the same basically, but if you look at numbers of staff a couple of pages in, the staff members don’t change. So why have compensation and benefits gone down so much if our staff complement is the same? Thank you.
Thank you. It’s because of the fact that we’re sunsetting negotiations and we’re moving some people around. We’re sunsetting an executive director of devolution, we’re sunsetting an expert policy advisor and we’re hiring two policy advisors on implementation. So that’s the reason for the changes.
Thanks. I just want to confirm. So we are sunsetting some expensive staff and hiring less expensive staff. Is that kind of the way it goes?
That’s correct.
Thanks for the clarification. I have two last questions here. The first one has to do with the Auditor General’s report, which came out I think almost two years ago now, and it was sort of a status report of a number of reports that they had already done. Within that report at the end of the report the Auditor General identified three barriers, which they saw as barriers to effective and efficient government within the GNWT. They were inadequate information to manage programs and make decisions, insufficient monitoring of third-party program delivery, and an absence of detailed action plans on how and when recommendations and audit reports will be implemented. My understanding is that the Department of Executive took the responsibility on to work with those three barriers and to do something about them. I think there was also a review and I think a report was being prepared. Am I right in my recollection and if the report is done, or is the report done if there was a report being done? Thank you.
Thank you. We followed up with the Auditor General of Canada so that we were very clear on the barriers that he was identifying and that we understood where he was coming from. We have a clear idea of why he was making those recommendations and we are doing a risk management framework that will allow us to address all three of those barriers and Executive will take on the task as recommended.
