Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just my general comment would be I’d kind of like to hear maybe a little more detail on how the Financial Administration Act, how it’s coming forward and what adjustments will be done. One of the issues that I’ve raised, in the last term significantly, is about trying to adjust and help NGOs on their reporting period and how often they have to report

on their reporting period. Even the Auditor General knows that you don’t always have to audit every federal agency every single year, recognizing that some agencies are better than others and they have to prove their auditing statements sort of different and whatnot. Now that may not be a perfect or accurate description of the scenario, but what the issue really comes down to is NGOs are quite pressed to produce financial statements and whatnot at one of the most expensive times when it is to get them filed, written and in good form for the government, and one of the critical asks that’s always come forward from them is how is the government going to address that and reorganize that problem with it.

I’m wondering if the territorial government could start taking an analysis as to identifying which NGOs spend their money properly, fairly and respectfully, that’s intended to the process of why we lend them the money and maybe come up with a different way of having them file their audited statements. By no means, I’ve never heard from any NGO that they did not want to have their program audited and I’ve never once heard that they didn’t want to file statements in any way, but the issue really came down to things like timing. Because quite often what we’ll see is people who provide programs, whether it’s the Centre for Northern Families...I mean, the question that really comes up in my mind is do I want them to do paperwork and file audited statements or do I want them helping people. I would certainly hope that the answer from the Minister would be we’d like to see them doing the good services that they do, which is helping people.

Mr. Chairman, quite often what I find, in my experience so far, is some of these NGOs do services that the government could not do for that type of dollar. We could not provide the sympathy or empathy that’s required in that service and what we have is longstanding agencies come forward to provide services in both Yellowknife and throughout the North. This would be one way to recognize and appreciate the good work that they do and signify that, yes, our government has financial requirements. And by no means I’m not suggesting in any way that we don’t keep a close eye on that, but I think, especially with these types of things being discussed such as our Financial Administration Act, are there ways to help those agencies, again, focus their time and energies on providing services as opposed to providing paperwork. I think that’s ultimately the crux of my issue on that, is helping them. Because, you know, we don’t have auditors helping people at a homeless shelter, we don’t have auditors helping people at a Salvation Army program meeting. I mean, we have real people helping real people with real problems, and I would rather see their focus on

the area that they’re providing a much needed service.

Mr. Chairman, I don’t really have anything else to add at this time, but that continues to be an issue since I remember I was first raising it about probably four years ago. I certainly would like to see this opportunity get captured under any update and any adjustments be added to it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.