Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my statement and ask some questions of the Minister responsible for the Executive, also the Premier, with regard to the NGO Stabilization Fund. I mentioned in my statement that it is gratifying at this point that the funds have been awarded. The various organizations have received their funding, finally. Thank you very much. But I’d like to know if the Minister could advise me and the House why it took five months for the NGOs to receive a response and to receive notification of their awards. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was an election that was held right in the middle of those five months, so it pretty well put the government out of commission for at least two months. I believe we had a protocol in place that said we weren’t going to take any actions or make any decisions unless we had it approved by all parties. That’s my understanding of the situation.
I should point out that as soon as the new government was put in place and Premier and Cabinet, I think the money rolled out within two or three weeks after we were put into office. Thank you.
I’m not sure if I should thank the Minister for that response or not. I have a really hard time believing that the government does not work while an election is in progress. Ministers are in place until the new Ministers are elected, so I really have a hard time believing that between June of 2011 and even the beginning of the election period, September of 2011, that some work could not have taken place for these applications.
The Minister also mentioned that these had to be approved by all parties. I would like to ask the Minister, before people were advised of the grants and the awards from the NGO Stabilization Fund – and I presume by all parties he means Regular Members and Cabinet Ministers – when were Regular Members given an opportunity to be advised and/or to have input into these grant applications and awards? Thank you.
I was referring to a protocol that was put in place where we had to respond to committees by the end of July of 2011 I believe it was. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Before we go on, colleagues, when we’re questioning, on the preamble, the first question will be fine with it being a little longer, but on your second questions, if you could shorten up the preamble just a bit, because it’s the second person and I’ve got 49 minutes left for oral questions. Shorten it up, please and thank you. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will do what I can to shorten my comments. I understand the protocol that he’s referencing. This was hardly an emerging issue or an emerging program. This is something we’ve been doing for a while. I would like to ask the Minister, in retrospect, in knowing that it was five months to go from call for applications to awarding, what will the Minister do to make sure that the process is reviewed so we don’t have this happen again. Thank you.
I think this year was an anomaly. I’m confident and we’ll make sure that in forthcoming years the money will go out a lot faster and a review will be undertaken that involves all of the departments that have social responsibilities and will process it very quickly. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thanks to the Minister. My last question has to do with this anomaly, which is going to happen every four years. I’d like to know from the Minister, is there any opportunity to start the process earlier. This call went out in June. Why can’t we have a call going out in early May or mid-May? The funds were approved the 1st of April. Can the Minister look at putting the call for applications out at least a month or two months earlier? Can we not get the awards done within a month or a two-month time period? Thank you.
We will make sure that we put out the call for applications as soon as we know what the budgets are this year. For example, we won’t have our business plans and funding approved for 2012-13 until the end of June or middle of June, so we would put the call out as quickly as possible.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
