Debates of March 2, 2005 (day 47)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Premier. Yesterday in the House I asked the Premier about the numbers that were used to justify the reductions in the services in Justice in Hay River, and the Premier shared with me that the Audit Bureau of the Finance department would be looking at the methodology in these numbers. I have to say that I want to thank the Premier for that because, regardless of the outcome, I see it as some small step of progress on this subject which I’ve been harping about for some time now. I want to thank the Premier for that. I would like to ask the Premier a few questions about that though. Would he be prepared to share publicly what the scope of the question is that was posed to the Audit Bureau so we know exactly what’s being looked at? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Return To Question 518-15(3): Scope Of Justice Audit Review

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice has asked the Minister of Finance to have the Audit Bureau look at the methodology that was used to arrive at the numbers. They will do that. Mr. Speaker, I want to be very, very careful that I’m not politically stepping into the realm of the Audit Bureau and somehow compromising their impartiality on this. So, Mr. Speaker, whatever I do I want to be very, very careful about that. So I can’t say that we would share what they say publicly. I can’t make that commitment right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 518-15(3): Scope Of Justice Audit Review

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just think it’s good to know that we operate within a government that tries to be as transparent as possible and while I understand the Premier not wanting to be prescriptive about what the Audit Bureau may do with this, I just want to make sure that the question is comprehensive enough that it actually does some good because this is going to require some work.

Might I also say, Mr. Speaker, that I’m very pleased that as of this morning I’d already received a call from the Audit Bureau asking for input. I was very impressed by that, especially given the fact that the Audit Bureau, according to Mr. Hawkins, is quite short staffed.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, pending the outcome of this work that the Audit Bureau is going to do, would the Premier agree to put the reductions in Hay River on hold until the results of the review are available? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 518-15(3): Scope Of Justice Audit Review

Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased that the Audit Bureau has contacted the Member and I want to assure this House that I didn’t have any part of that. That’s something that they would have done on their own. I will stay away from the Audit Bureau’s work because, again, as I said, their impartiality is the most important in their business. Mr. Speaker, the one thing I can’t do is change the amount of money that’s in the budget that is before this House. It’s before the House. The money that was identified as a savings has been identified in the budget, it’s a reduction in the budget. I can’t put pieces of this budget on hold. We’re going through a process here and I have to respect that process of reviewing the budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 518-15(3): Scope Of Justice Audit Review

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well then I really have to question what this entire debate in Committee of the Whole with respect to department’s budget is all about if we have no opportunity as Members to affect any change in that budget. As Members all know, we’re already looking at expansion of government presence and government roles in various regions throughout the Northwest Territories for the upcoming fiscal year that are nowhere indicated in the budget. So I’m a bit disappointed with the Premier’s answer on that. All I’m asking for is that if the decisions were made on good and sound information and the Audit Bureau’s analysis is going to bear that out or not, I just don’t want anything irretrievable or irreversible to be done until those results are in. I think it’s a reasonable request. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 518-15(3): Scope Of Justice Audit Review

Mr. Speaker, it’s unfortunate that when we reviewed business plans that this item hadn’t been identified early on, because that’s where we can make changes, as we build our business plans and build our main estimates. Mr. Speaker, having said that, if we find as we move along in the next fiscal year and so on after this budget is approved, then there are other ways of changing the budget through supplementaries and special warrants and so on. That’s the proper way of doing it. I can’t, as the Premier, suddenly start changing this budget that we’re reviewing here, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 518-15(3): Scope Of Justice Audit Review

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in fact when the standing committee’s report on Social Programs is entered into the record when Justice comes up, I think it’s unfair for the Minister to say that this had not been brought up in the main estimates discussions, because that I don’t believe is correct. Mr. Speaker, I’m not asking the Minister to change the budget, I’m asking him to put actions related to the budget on hold in Hay River until such time as these numbers can be analyzed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 518-15(3): Scope Of Justice Audit Review

Mr. Speaker, the proposed changes in Hay River -- I’m assuming she’s referring to Dene K’onia and SMCC -- are proposed changes that will happen, assuming this budget is approved, after April 1st. That is a time we would be making the final decisions on it. That’s where we would have to decide if something was wrong in here, then we would have to look at a supplementary or look at doing it some other way. I can’t change that today, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.