Sorry, Madam Chair. Following this review, Members will have to consider whether amendments to appropriate legislation will be necessary to ensure that special warrants are used properly.
Some of the items reviewed related to transfers of positions or responsibilities to communities. These included the transfer of community government liaison functions to the hamlets of Gjoa Haven, Pelly Bay and Taloyoak; transfer of an economic development officer position to the Kitikmeot Regional Community Economic Development Organization; and, the transfer of responsibility for property assessment to the city of Yellowknife. Committee Members noted that in the past, positions and responsibilities have been transferred to communities either without adequate financial resources or with financial resources which were later reduced or eliminated. The standing committee recommends that any transfer of positions or programs to communities not be used as a way for the government to reduce expenditures.
One special warrant, whose urgency was obvious, was for $231,500, again in Municipal and Community Affairs, to cover costs associated with the June 1995 evacuation of Norman Wells and Tulita, Fort Norman. However, Members were concerned about the mention of providing compensation to affected businesses. Committee Members want assurances that these funds are not being used to cover items which should have been covered by the businesses' own insurance coverage. While compensation for affected residents is certainly reasonable, the responsibility for protecting a business's finances should not fall upon the government with an incident such as this forest fire.
Another item which should be examined is consistency in accounting and reporting of expenditures among departments. For example, one item listed was the transfer of almost $1 million from MACA's capital budget to their operations and maintenance budget. This is to cover the community dust control program, which was recently transferred from Public Works and Services. This was a capital item in previous Public Works budgets, but MACA has seen fit to move it to O and M.
Committee Members are concerned that this may represent a lack of consistency in the classification, reporting and accounting of government expenditures. The committee suggests that the government examine their standards and policies in this area and ensure that expenditures are recorded in a consistent manner,
I would now like to return to the chairman of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, Mr. Roy Erasmus, to conclude this report.