Thank you. We will take a short break.

-- Break

I will call committee of the whole back to order. We are dealing with Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act. Does the Minister have any opening comments? Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, schedule A of the Public Service Act sets out who is included in the public service. We are proposing an amendment to update schedule A of the Public Service Act to reflect changes in other legislation and regulations.

Prior to the fall of 2000, Ecole Alain St. Cyr fell under the Yellowknife Education District No. 1 Board, which is not part of the public service. Regulations pursuant to the Education Act created the Commission Scolaire Francophone de Division as a separate education body. Under these regulations the commission is part of the public service. This change would affect the French teachers.

The commission was created in this manner for three reasons. First, this enables the commission to have programs in different communities in the same fashion as divisional education councils. Second, the commission more closely resembles the divisional education councils as opposed to the two Yellowknife boards, which both receive funding from local taxes. Third, the commission does not have the capacity to be a separate employer, which would include costly administration, payroll and financial functions.

At the time the commission was established, a consequential amendment to the Public Service Act was overlooked. The proposed update to schedule A of the PSA will merely rectify this. The proposed changes confirm that the employees of the Commission Scolaire Francophone de Division and the president of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation are included in the public service of the Northwest Territories. The president of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is currently treated as a public service employee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. I call on the deputy chair of the Accountability and Oversight Committee for comment.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight reviewed Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act, at its meeting on May 6, 2002. This bill amends schedule A of the Public Service Act to add Commission Scolaire Francophone de Division as a portion of the public service and to delete the exclusion of the president of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

The committee would like to thank the Honourable Joe Handley, Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat, his officials and those of the Department of Justice, who appeared before the committee to present the bill and respond to questions raised by the committee.

Schedule A of the Public Service Act sets out who is included in the public service. The bill proposes amendments to update schedule A to reflect changes in other legislation and regulations.

Mr. Chairman, these amendments were passed by committee. This concludes the committee's comments on Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Would the Minister care to bring in any witnesses? Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, yes, I would.

Does the committee agree?

Sergeant-at-Arms, can you please escort the witnesses in? Mr. Minister, please introduce your witnesses for the record.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With me today I have Lew Voytilla, secretary to the Financial Management Board, and Diane Buckland, legislative counsel with the Department of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. At this time, I will open the floor to general comments. Is the committee ready for detail?

Is the committee ready to go clause-by-clause?

Please go to tab 3 in your binders. Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act, clause 1.

Clause 2.

Bill as a whole?

Does the committee agree that Bill 3 is ready for third reading?

Bill 3 is now ready for third reading. I would like to thank the Minister and his witnesses for appearing. As previously agreed, we will go to Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act. Does the Minister have any opening comments? Mr. Handley.