Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My motion is regarding the appointment of an alternate Member to the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures.

WHEREAS the rules of the Legislative Assembly have been amended to permit the appointment of four alternates to the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures;

AND WHEREAS it is desirable to name and appoint an alternate to the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures who must be a Minister;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that the honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine, be appointed as an alternate Member to the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. We have a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour, please signify. Thank you. All those opposed? The motion is carried. Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of bills. Item 18, second reading of bills. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Welcome to committee of the whole. The committee is considering bills and other matters: Bill 16, Bill 19, Bill 20, Committee Report 5-14(3), Committee Report 6-14(3), Committee Report 7-14(3). What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to recommend that the committee continue consideration of Bill 19, Committee Reports 5, 6 and 7 concurrently. Specifically, to conclude the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, followed by Executive Offices, then the Financial Management Board Secretariat, then Aboriginal Affairs.

Does the committee agree?

I would like to ask the Minister if he will be bringing in his witnesses.

Yes, I will bring in witnesses.

Does the committee agree?

With that, we will take a short break.

-- Break

I will call the committee to order. Will the Minister introduce his witnesses for the record, please?

On my left is Mr. Bob McLeod, deputy minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. To my far right is Fred Koe, president of the NWT Development Corporation, and Jim Kennedy, director of corporate services for RWED.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Welcome witnesses. We are on page 11-9, corporate management, operations expense, total operations expense, $12,543,000. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, just looking at compensation and benefits, the amount from the 1999-2000 actuals to what is proposed this year, $8,778,000, has grown 150 percent. I do not think that salaries have grown by that much, so it must be that we are seeing a fairly significant increase in staff. Is that what is driving this increase?

The Minister responsible for Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.

Mr. Chairman, there are three items -- there is the superannuation transfer, the collective bargaining agreement increase and a transfer in from other expenses. To give you the detail of those other expenses, it is a collection of items here: superannuation was $1,287,000; there is a self-government increase here of $79,000; the Development Corporation reallocation of $771,000; the Mackenzie Valley/Liard planning of $91,000; internal reallocation $187,000, and so on. There are a whole number of items there, some of it is from reallocating money into this section and others are superannuation and the collective bargaining adjustments. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. From what the Minister says, would it be correct to say that a majority of this increase is in transfers from other areas of the budget, or is the majority from new items like the superannuation growth of $1 million?

Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned, $1,287,000 of it is from superannuation. The biggest single part of it, though, is made up of a number of items that we have experienced increases in; $647,000 on travel and transportation, materials and supplies, these have been transferred in, $474,000.

Let me start over again. To go from the 1999-2000 actuals of $5,906,000 over to the 2001-2002 main estimates of $8,778,000, there are a number of adjustments that have been made, and the biggest one is on superannuation. There are a number of internal reallocations, bringing us down to a total of $8,778,000. Then we have an item referred to as "other expenses" that amounts to $3,687,000. Maybe I will ask Mr. Bob McLeod to explain that category.

The deputy minister, Mr. Bob McLeod.