Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for the opportunity to present the Ministry of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs' budget for 1996-97. I am presenting the budget on behalf of myself, the honourable Minister responsible for National Constitutional Affairs, and the honourable Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs.
The budget is derived from the ministry's business plan which has been developed based on the standing committee's recommendations. I would like to present a brief summary of the highlights of the ministry's proposed budget and the identify how the budget reflects previous recommendations by the standing committee.
The ministry's 1996-97 proposed budget is $2.983 million, which represents a reduction of 29 per cent from the 1995-96 budget. The 1996-97 total person years budget is 22.4, which represents a 17 per cent reduction from the 1995-96 budget. Included in the reductions is the transfer of the community transfer initiative to the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Without consideration of this transfer, the reduction of the ministry's budget is 10 per cent.
The 1996-97 operations and maintenance budget is broken down as follows: $1.791 million for salaries and wages; $460,000 for grants and contributions; and, $732,000 for other operations and maintenance. The ministry has no capital budget nor any revenues. The ministry receives $544,000 in vote 4/5 funding from the federal government to meet obligations of land claims. The budget reductions implemented will not require any legislative amendments to be included in the proposed Budget Measures Implementation Act.
The recommendations of the standing committee, related to reductions, are incorporated into the proposed budget in the following manner:
- one person year was deleted and related salary and benefits costs were reduced by $80,000. The position was vacant, so a lay-off was avoided;
- the grants and contributions to aboriginal organizations budget was reduced by $50,000;
- vote 4/5 funding is to be maximized by sharing the salary of the financial and administration advisor;
- the community transfer initiative was transferred to MACA, to be incorporated within its responsibility for community empowerment effective March 1, 1996; and,
- reductions to other O and M resulting from general fiscal restraints.
Further initiatives will be implemented later in the fiscal year, once reviews are completed. The most significant of these are:
In response to the ministry's refocusing initiative, responsibilities for Intergovernmental Affairs has been assumed by the Premier and it should be fully integrated within the Department of Executive in June of 1996.
Associated with this integration, an in-depth review of the Ottawa office is under way and is also to be completed in June 1996. The Premier is the lead on these initiatives. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.