Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to talk about the Auditor General's report to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly that we will be getting to in committee of the whole. Every year, Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General provides a report to help ensure accountability to the spending of public funds. In effect, they follow the cash right to the program and service delivery level. Typically, the Auditor General makes observations or recommendations to government. It is then up to this House and up to the public to ensure these issues are addressed and corrected.
Mr. Speaker, this goes for traditional line departments as well as crown corporations of this government. After all, Mr. Speaker, it is all public money. To quote the Auditor General Report year ended March 31, 1995, Mr. Speaker:
"Territorial corporations have a different accountability relationship to the Legislative Assembly from that of government departments. Many have boards of directors and other interested stakeholders. Governments have an obligation to make sure that public spending through public agencies meets the same standards for achieving results as departmental spending."
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General, in this year's report, makes some revealing observations in the area of the Northwest Territories Development Corporation. This year's report, Mr. Speaker, taken in isolation, I am sure the public will wonder:
- How the Development Corporation can over-expend public money without approval;
- How the Development Corporation can provide no information as to whether or not they are achieving their mandate; and
- How they can operate on the basis of a confidential record-of-decision issued by FMB in 1989, Mr. Speaker.
However, taken together with the Auditor General's recommendations from the past five years, the public is likely to wonder how the Development Corporation ever survived this long, given an obvious lack of accountability for public funds.
So, Mr. Speaker, when the government responds to the Auditor General's observations and our committee's recommendations this year, before we take them at their word, let us keep in mind their track record. Mr. Speaker, we say that the auditors are the ones who come around after the battle's been lost, stabbed and wounded. I say, Mr. Speaker, this government continues to defy all odds and drag itself back to the field of battle year after year undaunted. It is truly amazing, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause