Accountability for Performance

Accountability for Performance

• Caucus (all Members) determines its priorities at the start of each Assembly; the 18th Assembly also developed a detailed, public mandate much like a party’s platform. The Premier and Cabinet may be held accountable for implementation of the Mandate in various ways, with the help of various tools.

  • Ministerial mandate letters developed by the Premier have been published since 2012, and include specific priorities by which performance may be measured. 
  • Public reporting on progress in achieving priorities began in November, 2013. In 2016, a website was established by the Executive to report progress on items in the Mandate.This website is currently being updated.
  • Government lists “Ministers’ meetings with outside parties” since July, 2015.

• Many issues related to the government’s ongoing performance are raised in session as Minister’s Statements, Members’ Statements, in Question Period, or discussed in Committee of the Whole.

All sessions are recorded and published daily in Hansard.

• Annual departmental Business Plans provide a specific, measurable basis for ministerial and departmental performance, through reviews by the appropriate standing committee.

  • Advice and recommended adjustments are implemented at the Minister’s/Cabinet’s discretion.
  • Business Plans are made public on the Department of Finance website once Main Estimates are public.

• The Financial Administration Act, effective April 1, 2016, requires a planning and accountability framework for government and public agencies, with prior consultation of the Assembly or a committee.

• Annual review of Public Accounts by the Standing Committee on Government Operations helps ensure accountability and transparency of the GNWT’s spending and financial affairs. The Committee’s reports are published annually: 

• Motions: Motions passed in the House provide non-binding advice to Ministers, the Premier, or government as a whole, and generally require a response within 120 days.

The government’s responses are Tabled Documents.

• Policy: Consistent with the 18th Assembly’s Guiding Principles and Process Conventions, standing committees are increasingly requesting and/or being asked for feedback on major policy and strategic decisions, such as the Land Use Sustainability Framework.

• In recent assemblies, the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning has discussed performance issues informally in “fireside chats” with the Premier, who may deal with the matter informally, shuffle cabinet responsibilities, or take other measures.