Thank you, Madam Chair. We would like to provide the details of the Report of the Standing Committee of Government Operations on the Report of the Chief Electoral Officer. During the 1995 election, the majority of the election administration was handled in the north by northern election officials; however, overall control of the
process and many of the special approvals were still handled by the Chief Electoral Officer in Ottawa.
In his last two reports there have been recommendations that the N.W.T. should assume responsibility for it's own elections. Elections Canada could provide support, and advice, only on request, as it does for other jurisdictions, both within Canada, and elsewhere.
The standing committee agrees completely that the administration of elections should be the responsibility of northerners. The Chief Electoral Officer has already made this recommendation to the federal government. It is now time for the territorial government to follow up on this recommendation.
Negotiations should begin immediately to ensure the responsibility is transferred prior to the 1999 elections. Funding for Territorial elections are currently fully covered by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer. There is no specific budget for these elections which could be transferred. Instead the elections are funded by the federal government with statutory authority money.
The Chief Electoral Officer suggested during his appearance before the standing committee that these funds could be rechanneled through the Government of the Northwest Territories. He further suggested the amount in question is probably about $1 million, for the two territories combined.
Madam Chair, I move that this Committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories immediately begin negotiations with the Federal government for the transfer of full responsibility and the financial resources for the administration of territorial elections and further, that the Legislative Assembly appoint a Chief Electoral Officer, well in advance of the next election.