Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 1993-94 requests additional appropriation authority of $9.893 million. If approved by the Legislative Assembly, this appropriation will bring our 1993-94 deficit position to around $23 million, Mr. Chairman. That is shown in the 1993-94 revised forecast column of the revenue and expenditure summary in the 1994/95 main estimates.

Mr. Chairman, this supplementary appropriation includes a further $2.799 million for projected deficiencies in the social assistance program. This is in addition to the $2.4 million already approved in Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, last November. There is also provision in this supplementary appropriation for an additional $2.233 million for the Department of Justice. Mr. Chairman, this includes $1 million for corrections and $623,000 for legal aid. Funding is also included for courts and coroner services.

Mr. Chairman, on the capital side, the Department of Transportation received a special warrant of $1 million in January to acquire and complete the unfinished Igloolik air terminal building.

Mr. Chairman, as we proceed to review Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, in detail, you will note that there are one-time expenditures and there are others which are due to forced growth which are liable to continue after this year. Where this is the case, Mr. Chairman, we will rely on our supplementary reserves in 1994-95. Mr. Chairman, this will require a very stringent approach to the consideration of supplementary requests next year.

Mr. Chairman, I am now prepared to review the details of the supplementary funding requests and either answer Members' questions or refer them to the Minister responsible. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Finance reviewed Bill 13, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 1993-94. At its meeting in Yellowknife on February 9, 12, and March 2, 1994, the committee was pleased that the chairman of the Financial Management Board and his staff were available to answer questions at the required time. This supplementary appropriation is for $8.388 million in operation and maintenance and $1.505 million in capital spending, for a total of $9.893 million or about one per cent of the total 1993-94 budget.

Most of the items are quite straightforward. However, some of the items raised issues which concerned the standing committee and which may be raised by standing committee Members here in committee of the whole. These issues include poor forecasting by some departments, the issuing of special warrants to cover expenses previously incurred, responsibility for costs related to land claims and poor monitoring of negotiated contracts.

On the other hand, the standing committee is glad to see the implementation of the community policing pilot project. We feel that such programs will be of great benefit in providing northerners with an effective system of community-based justice.

The standing committee also supports and encourages the proposal for divisional boards of education to be directly responsible for the management of utilities and expenditures. This will be an important step in encouraging boards and all government agencies to use energy wisely. The standing committee is encouraged that this request for supplementary funding is, comparatively speaking, as small as it is. This may suggest that the government is improving its planning and budgeting process. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

If I might, Mr. Chairman, and then I would request permission to move to the witness table. Thank you.

Agreed.

---Agreed

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The gentleman that I have with me is Mr. Lew Voytilla, who is the secretary to the Financial Management Board. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Clause by clause.

Clause By Clause

Department Of Executive

I am curious about the program to look at travel. There was a travel agent, office or monitor which was supposed to be set up. This says a transfer of administration was delayed. How long was the delay and why?

Mr. Chairman, on page six, regarding the $500,000, we had intended to transfer the responsibility for employee medical travel from, as it was then, Personnel, now the Financial Management Board Secretariat, to the Department of Health. The Department of Health was unable to accept that transfer in this fiscal year because of work that they were doing in decentralization to Inuvik and Rankin Inlet. In this fiscal year it won't be transferred. It will be transferred in the next fiscal year, beginning April 1 of this year, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

What I am hearing is because the Department of Health couldn't implement a recommendation made, it is costing this government $500,000.

No, Mr. Chairman. We transferred the administration to the Department of Health in this fiscal year by recommendation. They were unable to accept the transfer and handle the issue in this particular fiscal year. We anticipated that we would get a net savings of $400,000 out of this particular transfer because the Department of Health is already handling medical travel for other people in the Northwest Territories aside from employees. We were unable to make the transfer this year, so we were unable to get that savings. We are replacing the money. Thank you.

This is for clarification again. A decision that was made by Cabinet, which was to save us money, is now costing us $400,000. Is that correct?