Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, March 3, 2016, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that the Government of Northwest Territories work with the NWT Disabilities Council and other allies in the disability community to develop a five-year action plan that addresses the needs of the disability community, including measurable outcomes and ongoing evaluation; and further that the government respond to this motion by the end of June 2016 with a proposed timeline for the development of that described action plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Notices of motion. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, March 3, 2016, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on March 3, 2016, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, May 31, 2106; and further that at any time prior to May 31, 2016, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I now call the Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 2-18(2), Interim Estimates, 2016-2017.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
We will take a short recess and continue with the first item.
---SHORT RECESS
I call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 2-18(2), Interim Estimates, 2016-2017. Does the Finance Minister have any opening remarks? Minister McLeod.
Yes, I do, Mr. Chair. The interim estimates is requesting appropriation authority of $518 million in operations expenditures for the interim period of April 1 to June 30, 2016. These interim estimates provide the necessary resources for the government to operate in the first three months of the 2016-2017 fiscal year. The 2016-2017 Main Estimates, or full budget, will be presented during the May/June sitting of the Legislative Assembly, at which these interim estimates would be superseded. Departments are required to develop their 2016-2017 interim estimates based on a status quo 2015-2016 budget, only identifying the appropriations required to get through the interim period. I will stress that this does not include any new funding that hasn't been approved by the Legislative Assembly. All funding adjustments would be approved through the business planning and main estimates process.
The $518 million represents 31 per cent of total expenditures included in the 2015-2016 Main Estimates, compared to 30 per cent of total expenditures, which was approved during the last interim appropriation in 2012-2013. This exceeds one quarter of the 2015-2016 Main Estimates budget due to operation requirements that require that sufficient funding is to be in place to ensure certain contracts can be committed for the full year as required by the Financial Administration Act. I understand that committee has concerns regarding the ongoing funding for the Community Access Program under the Department of Transportation. Minister Schumann and myself are prepared to speak to this issue and have a solution to address the committee's concerns. That concludes my opening remarks.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Does the Minister of Finance wish to bring any witnesses into the House?
Yes, I would, Mr. Chair.
Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Thank you. Minister McLeod, would you please introduce your witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, to my left I have Mr. Mike Aumond, who is the secretary to the Financial Management Board and deputy minister of finance. To my right, I have Mr. Sandy Kalgutkar who is the deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Does the committee agree that we begin with general comments? Is it the wish of the committee that we proceed directly to the detailed sections?
Agreed.
We will begin the review with the 2016-2017 interim estimates, operations expenditures. Department, Legislative Assembly. Appropriation authority required, $5,353,000.
Agreed.
Department, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. Appropriation authority required, $2,493,000.
Agreed.
Department, Education, Culture and Employment. Appropriation authority required, $101,111,000. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Earlier we heard from the Minister’s opening remarks that this is a status quo arrangement for the first quarter of 2016-2017. I just want to ask, for ECE, for where income security programs are located. The Minister also mentioned that, on average, the first quarter spending for each of the departments is about 31 per cent, but can the Minister tell me whether income security is at that level or if there is any variance there. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, for that I would like to go to Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Minister Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The money that the department is asking for, the $101.1 million to cover the operational expense requirements for the first three months of the fiscal year April 1, 2016, to June 30, 2016, was based on budget amounts from the 2015-2016 Main Estimates, which was $309,786,000, plus the approved fiscal year 2016-2017 amounts from Supplementary Appropriations 1 and 2. Overall, ECE's interim appropriation of $101.1 million is approximately 33 per cent of the 2015-16 base appropriations, including the interim appropriation as forced growth associated with the income assistance that the Member is asking about. In addition, the interim appropriation also increases adjustments to Student Financial Assistance Programs for student financial grant increases. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Moses. Mr. O'Reilly.
Mr. Chair, I appreciate the Minister's response. Can he provide, then, some assurance that there is really no change in the income assistance and SFA programs in the first quarter for 2016-2017 as compared to the previous year? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister McLeod. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The amounts for those two include what was approved in the Main Estimates for 2016-2017 and also in consideration of that proportional amount that would have been included in the supplementary estimates for those two items for the 2015-2016 year. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Mr. O'Reilly.
Mr. Chair, I’m not sure I am getting my question across the best way I can then, perhaps. For income assistance, student financial assistance, what are the proportions of the total spending that we are looking at in the first quarter? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Kalgutkar.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. For the total Income Security Program, which had a 2015-2016 budget of $43 million, for the interim period we are looking for $9 million or about 20 per cent of that. That is broken down into two main areas: income assistance, which is about $29 million for 2015-2016, and for the interim period, we are asking about $7.2 million, which is about 25 per cent of that budget; and for SFA, it is about less than 13 per cent of that 2015-2016 budget. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is helpful. I guess now we are getting somewhere. We are talking about maybe 20 per cent of the income security envelope being spent in the first quarter. Earlier, in the Minister's statement, he mentioned that we are looking at about 31 per cent on average. Why are we at 20 per cent for income security as opposed to 31 per cent throughout the rest of the departments on average? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Aumond.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is correct. It is about 31 per cent on average across government. There may be programs where you may require less or more, depending on the nature of the program. In regards to income support in the first quarter of the year, the demand for income support, given that those non-winter months are not as much as you would see if you were looking at the third quarter, which would be more than the 30 per cent, because of the amounts provided for heat, for example for that income support component. So that is not required for the first quarter. Therefore, the department is not asking for that appropriation at this time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Now that is starting to make some sense for me. Finally, to close it off then, we are not looking at any substantive change between what we spent in 2015-2016 in the first quarter for income assistance and student financial assistance as opposed to what is being proposed in 2016-2017. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is correct.
Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly. Are there further comments or questions? Seeing none, we will proceed with the item. Department, Education, Culture, and Employment. Appropriation authority required, $101,111,000.
Agreed.
Department, Environment and Natural Resources. Appropriation authority required, $41,535,000.
Agreed.
Department, Executive. Appropriation authority required, $2,774,000.
