Mr. Speaker, the standing committee on finance is pleased to provide the Legislative Assembly with a short report on creative planning sessions which were recently conducted. The standing committee on finance first met during the first session in December, 1991. The committee was faced with a very heavy workload at that time and was unable to discuss, in detail, the role and responsibilities of the committee over the next four years.
It was agreed it would be beneficial for the committee to meet for a couple of days prior to a review of the 1992-93 capital estimates to fully discuss the role and responsibilities of the committee. As a result, the committee held a creative planning session in Yellowknife on February 1st and 2nd. Sessions were facilitated by Mr. Mike Bell of Inukshuk Management Consultants. The committee made several decisions that we would like to inform the Members about, and a full detailed account of the sessions are in the report in Appendix 1.
The purpose of the planning session was to decide on the primary purpose of the committee. The questions we were faced with were: What is our mandate and how are we going to fulfill this mandate? After much discussion, the committee adopted the following mission statement and principles which will guide our work for the next four years.
The mission of the standing committee on finance is to advise the Legislative Assembly, on behalf of the public, in all areas related to financial management and the proposed expenditure of funds, and to hold the government accountable for its spending. To carry out this mission, the standing committee will be guided by the following principles:
1) Government spending and financial management must respond first to fundamental human needs;
2) It must be guided by a strategic framework and be based upon sound fiscal policies;
3) It must ensure equity, fairness and universality of benefit to all Northerners in the Northwest Territories; and
4) It must be effective, efficient and economical.
The committee discussed many other issues of importance, including its relationship with other groups; how the committee should operate; and the priorities of the committee. The committee recognized that much more discussion must take place between committee Members and with other Members of the Legislative Assembly before we fully deal with these issues. The committee has set an ambitious work plan to help resolve some of these issues. The plan is relatively short term and is designed around three individual projects:
1) the development of interim procedures to guide its relationship with government and ordinary Members;
2) the development of a clear set of goals and objectives; and
3) a full review of the procedures used by the committee.
The committee has set clear deadlines for the completion of these projects. We welcome the comments and suggestions of all Members to assist us in achieving these goals. The committee appreciates the support provided by the facilitator and the staff at that time.
Motion That Committee Report 6-12(2) Be Received And Adopted, Carried
With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to move, seconded by my honourable colleague for Kitikmeot, that the report of the standing committee on finance on our creative planning session, be received and adopted. Thank you.