Thank you. Are there any further general comments? Is the committee agreed we go clause by clause?

Agreed.

--Agreed

Clause By Clause

Thank you. Clause one. Agreed?

Agreed.

--Agreed

Thank you. Clause two. Agreed?

Agreed.

--Agreed

Thank you. Clause three. Agreed?

Agreed.

--Agreed

Clause lour. Agreed?

Agreed.

--Agreed

Thank you. Clause five. Agreed?

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Thank you. Clause six. Agreed?

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Thank you. The bill as a whole. Agreed?

Agreed.

-Agreed

Is this committee agreed Bill 16 is ready for third reading?

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank the Members of SCOL and Members of the Assembly, on behalf of the staff, for passing this bill. Thank you.

Thank you. I would also like to thank the witnesses.

We are going to deal with the 1993-94 Main Estimates. Do any Members have general comments? Mr. Antoine.

Comments By Standing Committee On Finance

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a general comment on the main estimates. The Standing Committee on Finance has a short list of specific government-wide recommendations.

Government-Wide Issues And Recommendations

- Merit increases should only incur for superior performance.

- The Financial Management Board should set and monitor annual affirmative action goals.

- The government should publicize a five year capital plan and contracts separately listing southern contracts.

There are also some observations the committee wishes to make, without specific recommendations.

From a financial perspective, the Government of the Northwest Territories is better off than any other jurisdiction in Canada. At the same time, the committee has noted that there are a number of unresolved issues such as the payroll tax, negotiations on pay equity, RCMP costs and health billings which could seriously impact the overall surplus/deficit position of the government. Hence, we encourage the government, in developing its master plan, to be aware of the imminent dangers of incurring a deficit.

Controlling the cost of government and public services is a continuing concern. Departments need to determine what the necessities are and, based on this determination, to set priorities. They need to consider what can be cut, what is necessary and what is not. The committee would like government to rethink its programs and expenditures in these terms. Think productivity and think about how to continuously improve the way we conduct our business. We expect more than simply protecting the status quo.

Attitudes are poor in some departments. Resistance to change by bureaucrats will make things more difficult for Ministers. As one Member remarked, the bureaucrats sometimes remind me of an old dog. Cabinet is trying to go forward, and the old dog is dragging back and does not want to go. We have a newly elected government, anxious and wanting to go forward with this new era, coming up with new initiatives and ideas, serving the public rather than the bureaucracy, but there is still dragging and reluctance to move on. We must let the civil service know that the Cabinet and the Legislative Assembly want to move forward. The committee would like to see an immediate improvement in attitude throughout the civil service.

Another concern that Members noted is a lack of coordination across government, particularly in two areas. The first area that the lack of coordination was noted was in the provision of inservice training. In-service training is provided by the Department of Personnel and by many other departments on their own behalf. These efforts are not well coordinated.

The other area in which the committee noted a lack of coordination is the community transfer initiative. We honesty do not believe that many departments or communities

understand the government's grand scheme for implementing the initiative.

Finally, a process must be established by the Assembly to consider the effects of division on this government. We must also consider what might be done to facilitate division. The Standing Committee on Finance should have the opportunity to review any proposed commitments in this regard.

The committee has noted that certain government-wide motions of the Assembly regarding the 1992-93 Main Estimates require more satisfactory responses. For example, the response to recommendation number three -that representation of aboriginal peoples in the government must increase dramatically by 1997 was not satisfactory.

Similarly, the committee was not satisfied with the government's response to the 1992-93 recommendation number five. It directed the Financial Management Board to institutionalize broad scope, value for money auditing in all government departments and to work with the Standing Committees on Finance and Public Accounts to articulate concerns and develop a matrix.

The Premier should approach the Minister of Indian Affairs and ask him to request an order-in-council formally asking the Auditor General to do a comprehensive audit of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation under section 11 of the Auditor General Act. This would allow the office to request additional resources from parliament to fund the audit.

The committee finds that the response to our 1992-93 recommendation number nine was not complete. This recommendation suggested that Cabinet coordinate a review of all legislation to determine whether the underlying spirit and intent are still valid. We suspect that some of our legislation may have outlived its original purpose. This exercise is required in order that realistic priorities can be set.

Recommendation one is that the committee recommends that merit pay increases should only occur for superior performance.

Mr. Antoine, is that a motion or just a recommendation?

I will make a motion.

Proceed.