Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I have some opening comments. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to have the opportunity to review with you the Financial Management Board Secretariat's 1999-2000 Main Estimates.
The Financial Management Board Secretariat is a central agency of the government. It is responsible for providing advice to the Financial Management Board on the efficient, effective, and economic use of the government's financial, human and information technology resources. The Financial Management Board Secretariat provides this advice and service through five core business units:
- the directorate;
- labour relations and compensation services
- government accounting;
- audit bureau; and
- budgeting and evaluation
In reviewing the Estimates, Members will note the resource reductions from 1998-1999 to 1999-2000. These reflect the funding requirements of the Financial Management Board Secretariat to provide its programs and services to a reduced jurisdiction and a smaller government workforce. However, division of the Northwest Territories has not changed the Financial Management Board Secretariat's responsibility to provide the same core business functions it did prior to the creation of Nunavut. These core business functions include:
1. Providing advice and assistance related to compensation, job evaluation, benefits and maintaining the payroll and human resource information systems.
2. Providing external financial reporting for the GNWT, developing corporate accounting proceduresand policies, paying power subsidies and maintaining the government's accounting system.
3. Providing an internal audit service.
4. Coordinating the government business planning and budgeting process and providing advisory services and assistance in the areas of budget management, program and evaluation and performance measurement.
5. Coordinating the government-wide informatics planning initiative.
6. Providing support for the community empowerment, self-government and claims implementation initiatives.
7. Managing the disposal of the remaining staff housing units.
In addition to its core business responsibilities, the Financial Management Board Secretariat continues to aggressively implement a number of key government-wide initiatives, including:
1. Public/private partnerships.
2. The development and implementation of a new People Soft payroll and human resource management system.
3. The implementation of a framework for the division of the GNWT's assets and liabilities as at March 31, 1999.
4. The geographic reporting of expenditures at the western community level.
The Financial Management Board Secretariat has also developed an Internet web page that provides the public with regular updates on the status of these and other initiatives.
That concludes my opening remarks, Mr. Chairman. I am open to questions.