Mr. Chairman, the Member is correct; this issue has been identified. As we move forward with the upcoming year and what’s being proposed in terms of investments in alternative energy and as we plan to transition to other fuel sources, clearly we’ll be looking at the capital process as well so that we’re not putting in brand new facilities if we’re looking at changing the possible source of generation of electricity, for example, or running other facilities.

Mr. Bromley?

Thanks.

We’re on page 10, Petroleum Products, Not Previously Authorized: $3.85 million.

Department of Public Works and Services,

Capital Investment Expenditures, Petroleum Products, Not Previously Authorized: $3.85 million, approved.

Moving along to page 11, Health and Social Services, Capital Investment Expenditures, Program Delivery Support, Not Previously Authorized: $952,000.

Department of Health and Social Services,

Capital Investment Expenditures, Program Delivery Support, Not Previously Authorized: $952,000 approved.

Health Services Programs, Not Previously Authorized: negative $5.432 million.

Department of Health and Social Services,

Capital Investment Expenditures, Health Services Programs, Not Previously Authorized: negative $5.432 million, approved.

Community Health Programs, Not Previously Authorized: negative $2.5 million. Mr. Robert McLeod.

Mr. Chair, a couple of items on this page: the two negatives. I think we’d heard some explanation as to why we’re seeing the negatives, but I look here and see the numbers and see they’re going to be put back in the ’09–10 budgets for the respective projects. I’m kind of curious as to why we feel that we need to go through this particular exercise. Is it something that we are just starting? Is it something that’s been going on before? It’s going to show up in the ’09–10 respective budgets, so the numbers in those will go up. I’m just curious as to why we feel that there’s a need to start showing some negative numbers.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Aumond.

Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Chair, Mr. Aumond said that is something they thought they’d try this year. I just find that we’ve lived with the carry-overs — and I know the numbers were large…. To me this just seems like a bookkeeping exercise so it will show that our carry-overs for this particular year are not as large as they used to be. So it appears to me that it is just a bit of a bookkeeping exercise. I don’t know if it is just an optics thing or if there is really some value in doing it this way. I think that’s just more of a comment, but if the Minister or Mr. Aumond would like to respond, then I’m fine with that.

Minister Miltenberger.

Mr. Chairman, this is going to be a one-time process. The intent is, as I indicated previously, to have the necessary amendments to the Financial Administration Act in place for the next go-round. The other thing is that we are now doing capital in the fall, and this would give us a more accurate reflection of where we stand as we look at approving projects. Normally the carry-overs and such wouldn’t be dealt with until sometime later in the spring, which would be several months down the road. This gives us, in our opinion, for this one cycle, an opportunity to have a clearer idea of where we stood financially with cash flows and projects.

Thanks to the Minister for that. That kind of clarifies it a bit. He said that it was just a one-time requirement, and it’s to better reflect the numbers because of the shift from doing the infrastructure budget a different way. So this is just a one-time thing. It’s not something that we can expect to see in the future. And if that’s the reason for having the negatives in this particular appropriation, then I don’t have much of a problem with that. It just seemed to be too much of a bookkeeping exercise to me. But I appreciate the Minister’s explanation.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. I didn’t really hear a question, more of a comment. So we’ll move on. We’re on Health and Social Services, Capital Investment Expenditures. We’re on Community Health Programs, not previously authorized, negative $2.5 million.

Department of Health and Social Services,

Capital Investment Expenditures, Community Health Programs, Not Previously Authorized: negative $2.5 million, approved.

Total Department, Not Previously Authorized: negative $6.98 million.

Department of Health and Social Services,

Capital Investment Expenditures, Total Department, Not Previously Authorized: negative $6.98 million, approved.

We’ll move along to page 12, Education, Culture and Employment, Capital Investment Expenditures, Education and Culture, Not Previously Authorized: negative $10.272 million.

Department of Education, Culture and

Employment, Capital Investment Expenditures, Education and Culture, Not Previously Authorized: negative $10.272 million, approved.

Advanced Education and Careers, Not Previously Authorized, $3.75 million.

Department of Education, Culture and

Employment, Capital Investment Expenditures, Advanced Education and Careers, Not Previously Authorized: $3.75 million, approved.

Total Department, Not Previously Authorized, negative $6.522 million.

Department of Education, Culture and

Employment, Capital Investment Expenditures, Total Department, Not Previously Authorized: negative $6.522 million, approved.

We’ll move on to page 13, Transportation. Minister Miltenberger, during your opening comments you indicated that you might want to bring in an additional witness.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Does the committee agree to allow us to have one more witness in?