Debates of June 2, 2005 (day 7)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I spoke of my frustration with the way the government provides information on changes to capital projects to the Members of this Assembly and to its standing committees. I’d like to ask the Minister of Finance today whether he would commit to providing, as part of the background information on the capital acquisition plan, a listing, and that is a complete listing, of all capital projects that have lapsed or have been held over to subsequent years? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 80-15(4): Commitment To Provide List Of Capital Projects That Lapsed Or Were Held Over To Subsequent Years

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, as the exercise we went through, one of the ways we report capital carryover is through the supplementary process that’s reported in this House for lapses of projects that just have not got off the ground and have been dropped. We will work on getting that information together. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 80-15(4): Commitment To Provide List Of Capital Projects That Lapsed Or Were Held Over To Subsequent Years

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister of Finance where in the Financial Administration Manual, and that’s directive 302, does it say that the government can consult with standing committees and Regular Members of this Legislative Assembly through supplementary appropriations? Where does it say that, Madam Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Roland.

Further Return To Question 80-15(4): Commitment To Provide List Of Capital Projects That Lapsed Or Were Held Over To Subsequent Years

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the formal process of reporting to this Assembly is through a number of bills. For example, if projects change between one department from funding allocated to another, there’s a list of interdepartmental transfer activities that is tabled in this House. For the year end where we have to carry projects over into the new fiscal year, we have to come back to the House for the approvals to carry those projects over to a new year. Those are the formal processes that we have in place. For programs that change in a year from one capital program to another, that’s when we initiate the letters to committees and Members about the change that has occurred in any pre-approved program that’s been in place. So we follow that process.

As the Member is aware, in the directive 302, those are guidelines we use for consulting with the committees and Members on changes to the projects we have available. So we have a number of ways of consulting with Members. That’s either making presentations directly to them or a letter to each specific Member or to a committee or a discussion we have in an office to inform them of the changes. So there are a number of those ways, but the formal processes we have in place are the ones that we do use and are either tabled in this House or have to come back for approval in this Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 80-15(4): Commitment To Provide List Of Capital Projects That Lapsed Or Were Held Over To Subsequent Years

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The difficulty I have, Mr. Minister, is we questioned the Minister of Health and Social Services to try to get us information. We get the information one night prior to a supplementary appropriation coming before the House for us to vote on for $500,000. What type of consultation is that, Madam Speaker, that this government can come back to the Regular Members without going through the standing committee? We have a job to do on this side of the House. What type of consultation is that to get the information one night and make a decision the next day? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Roland.

Further Return To Question 80-15(4): Commitment To Provide List Of Capital Projects That Lapsed Or Were Held Over To Subsequent Years

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the information that we use or the changes we use, we do inform Members of the changes that have occurred. In this particular case, the item came back to this House requesting the permission to make the change. So when you look at the process, we followed the letter of the law. We’ve followed the process in place and, in fact, I believe Members were aware that this was occurring prior to the day before, because a Member had been quoted in the paper as being supportive of this initiative. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 80-15(4): Commitment To Provide List Of Capital Projects That Lapsed Or Were Held Over To Subsequent Years

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think the Minister of Finance may have his Regular Members mixed up in the quotes that occurred in the local press in regard to support of this initiative. I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, I am supportive of decentralization when it makes sense and when this government can show us an actual business case that does make sense. In this regard there was none, there was no consultation. If you want to call consultation us standing up on this side of the House questioning the Minister of Health and Social Services to try to get him to produce a document that we can digest and we can look at, what type of consultation is that, Madam Speaker?

Again, it goes back to process and it goes back to timing. The timing on this was just terrible. To me it is not any form of consultation and I’d like the Minister to maybe give us some kind of respect and show us a little bit of respect. We have a job to do too. We have constituents to look after as well, and it’s causing us a great deal of concern. Maybe the Minister can commit to having a look at this. Maybe we can learn something from this and we can move forward from here. I would like the Minister to say that he’ll maybe sit down with AOC and sit down with some of the Regular Members to try to sort out what happened here so we don’t see a repeat performance. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Roland.

Further Return To Question 80-15(4): Commitment To Provide List Of Capital Projects That Lapsed Or Were Held Over To Subsequent Years

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, with the branch being extended about working together, I am always willing to work with the Members of this Assembly on the rules that we use. In fact, as a result of the questioning and some of the confusion about what applies in the guidelines that are used, I intend to and have talked with my Cabinet colleagues and intend to strengthen section 302 of the FAM document to make it formal, that the communication be done in writing instead of being in the area of consulting. Consulting is a number of things; where it’s a discussion in the hall, in a Minister’s office, or the formal process of making an actual presentation to committee. So I’ll agree and inform Members here now that what I intend to do is go back to my department and work on redoing that section of the FAM to make it very clear that the consultation shall be formal and it shall be in writing. Thank you.