Question has been called. Sorry, I didn't see your hand there, Mr. Villeneuve. All those in favour of the motion? All those opposed? The motion is defeated.

---Defeated

Executive offices, not previously authorized, $1.530 million.

Executive offices continued, Financial Management Board, page 8, total Financial Management Board Secretariat, not previously authorized, $1.046 million.

Page 10, Executive continued, operations expenditures, Aboriginal Affairs, total Aboriginal Affairs, not previously authorized, $213,000.

Executive continued, operations expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $2.789 million.

Page 11, Department of Finance, operations expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $228,000.

Page 12, Municipal and Community Affairs, operations expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, continued on page 13, $28.480 million.

Page 14, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I seek consent to go back to page 13.

Does the committee agree?

Thank you. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I'm going to take issue with the $108,000 that's being proposed for additional costs incurred for the communication and administration of the community capacity building initiative, for a number of reasons. I think I heard the Minister say that the $108,000 was actually going to come out of interest that was going to be built up by the money that was sitting in the bank somewhere and that's how they were proposing to pay for it. I think communities need to determine their priorities for themselves, and I don't know how having somebody there and paying them this kind of money is going to help this along. I think if the government wants to do something like this, we have adequate resources in place within MACA to carry this type of work out. I don't understand for a second

why we'd want to rush out and hire somebody again in a full-time position for 2005-2006. If you look at it from outside, why can't regional superintendents or folks in the regions carry out some of this work? Why do we have to look at spending $108,000 for the remainder of this year on a position like this when staff at the regional level can carry the work out? I'd like the Minister to explain to me why it is that we need to incur this type of expenditure when we have staff in place already. Thank you, Mr. Chairman

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, it's one thing to deal with the day-to-day operations of the programs and services we have in place that, in this case, Municipal and Community Affairs deals with, with communities and community governments on a whole number of initiatives from day to day. Then we take a $35 million fund and put it out there and are going to be working with every community as well on their interests and giving them support where we can. This puts a substantial strain on the existing staff there. The funding identified here is to help those in the regions meet those commitments. For example, $58,000 of this is to help the regional superintendents and other staff within the regions travel to the communities to deal with the initiative that's going to be undertaken here. Further, $10,000 of that will be used to cover one-time costs for preparation of public information materials and collaboration with the Executive. Forty thousand dollars is for program administration, and that will help Municipal and Community Affairs retain the part-time position casual employee for the period that's required. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't know if much thought was given to this, but I think if we look government-wide we could probably find a MAP candidate or somebody you could transfer into this position for the time being, get the work done and send them back to their old position. I don't know if that was looked at, but that would make sense to me. I think it would give them a tremendous amount of exposure across the territory and allow them to gain some valuable insight into the communities; somebody you're grooming for an ADM position or a deputy minister position someday within government. I mean, that would be a perfect fit for them to do a job like this. I think, on the other hand, the communities that are going to be accessing the $35 million, I think they'd appreciate the fact that that $108,000 is going to go back to them and not being spent on this position. So, Mr. Chairman, that would be my recommendation to the Minister. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the funds identified here would help us deal with those communities to help supply them with the answers that they'd be requesting of us and to help them with their contribution agreements, with their communication materials, and to give MACA the ability to ensure that there is compliance with the policy and so that's structured around this deal, working with communities around this whole fund and how we ensure that things flow and flow smoothly. So again, $58,000 of this is identified for helping to deal with getting existing staff to get to communities, $40,000 is to help off-set program administration, and $10,000 for communications. Thank you.