Does committee agree we have concluded the consideration of Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 7, 2010-2011? Mr. Dolynny.

A motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. The motion is non-debatable.

Question is being called.

---Carried

We’ll move on to Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2010-2011. Mr. Miltenberger, do you have opening comments?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’m here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2010-2011. This document provides an increase of $5.754 million for operational expenditures for departmental over-expenditures in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

During the year-end process to finalize the 2010-2011 GNWT financial statements, adjustments are typically made to departmental expenditures to ensure the statements are prepared in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles. The 2010-2011 year-end process identified a number of adjustments that resulted in departments exceeding their appropriation authority.

Section 36(4) of the Financial Administration Act states that the Minister of Finance shall submit an appropriation in the form of a supplementary

appropriation bill to the Legislative Assembly to finance any departmental over-expenditures resulting from the year-end process.

Appropriation authority is, therefore, being sought for adjustments in the following two categories of over-expenditures:

1. Appropriation authority totalling $2.569 million to

account for the reallocation of previously expended capital investment expenditures to operations expenditures. The net financial impact on government operations is nil as the transaction does not represent any additional outlay.

2. $3.185 million to fund departments who over-

expended their approved operations expenditures appropriations in the 2010-2011 fiscal year and thus require appropriation authority for the over-expenditure as required by the Financial Administration Act. These over-expenditures result from accounting adjustments made after year-end.

I am prepared to review the details of the supplementary estimates document.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. I will open the floor for general comments. No general comments. Is committee agreed we move to detail?

We will move to page 3, Justice, operations expenditures, community justice and corrections, not previously authorized, $1.915 million. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again welcome back to the Minister and his delegation here. If we can get a little bit more explanation as to this appropriation and more forthcoming, how much does this appropriation have to do with Nunavut and with anticipated revenue?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Aumond.

I guess a supplemental question to the Nunavut question is: Are we receiving payments on time and are our accounts in good order or good standing with the Government of Nunavut?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We don’t have that level of detail before us today, with that arrangement that exists with Justice.

The other element with respect to this corrections amount has to do, I believe, with related food costs. Can the Minister indicate if we would anticipate seeing a relatively similar appropriation here next year as a result relating to food costs or is this just a one-time factor?

Justice has been receiving forced growth, so at this point it would be too early to tell if there’s going to be a requirement depending on population counts, price increases and those other factors. Thank you.

I guess the question begs to be asked. I mean, we know Bill C-10, not in effect but, obviously, could have a compounding affect if and when it does come in, and it possibly would come within the life of this budget. Have we made good main estimates to, I guess, forecast potential increases as a result of C-10, and if so, again my question is, are we anticipating shortfalls in corrections for food costs? Again, I’m trying to make sure that our estimates are as best that we can without having to see these shortfalls.

The Minister of Justice recently released a document outlining some of the projected impacts of Bill C-10, and I’ll ask the Minister if he would like to speak a bit to some of the projections that are being made. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The analysis that we’ve done shows that we could increase as much as 11 inmates over a year period and the cost of that is projected to be around $53,000, which includes all the costs that would be coming with that, food, time, staff. We don’t see it as a significant cost, but we also don’t anticipate that kind of hit during this fiscal year. We’re halfway through this fiscal year, or almost halfway through this fiscal year, and the provisions of Bill C-10 haven’t come into effect yet, so we’re not affected yet. When they do, they will take some time to get through the court system, so we don’t see some of the major hits hitting us in ’12-13. We do see in ’13-14, if our projections are right, it could cost us $53,000 more a year overall, but we should be able to accommodate that in our budgeting process.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. I would like to remind Members, we’re talking about fiscal year 2010-2011. Mr. Dolynny.