I am pleased to be here today to present the Department of Executive’s 2013-2014 Main Estimates.
In 2013-2014, the Department of Executive has identified a total operations budget of $20.464 million. There is a net decrease of approximately 10.5 percent from the 2012-2013 Main Estimates. As noted, this decrease is primarily associated with the sunset of devolution negotiations funding. Once a final Devolution Agreement is signed, the level of implementation activity and the required funding for 2013-2014 will increase significantly from the $6.071 million currently projected but will be offset by federal funding of $22.5 million, much of which we will receive in the 2013-2014 fiscal year.
The main estimates state that the department will have 83 active positions in 2013-2014. This represents a net increase of three positions from our 2012-2013 Main Estimates related primarily to the addition of three new government service officer positions.
The mandate of the Department of Executive is to provide overall management and direction to the executive branch of Government. This is done through the co-ordination, planning, and evaluation of cross-governmental initiatives; providing support for evidence-based decision making; ensuring consistent corporate communication; and co-ordinating implementation of strategic initiatives that advance the priorities of the 17th Legislative Assembly, as well as tracking and reporting on the government’s priorities.
The Department of Executive’s 2013-2014 Main Estimates highlights a transition year for our department as well as for the Government of the Northwest Territories and Northwest Territories as a whole. In the coming weeks, we anticipate finalizing a resource revenue sharing agreement, which sets out how resource revenues will be shared with participating Aboriginal governments; a Northwest Territories intergovernmental agreement on lands and resources management, which will establish a government-to-government relationship between the Government of the Northwest Territories and participating Aboriginal governments, allowing for greater co-operation in land and resource management; and the Northwest Territories lands and resources Devolution Agreement itself with Canada, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Northwest Territory Metis Nation, the Sahtu Secretariat, the Gwich’in Tribal Council, and the Tlicho Government.
The political evolution of our territory through the devolution of land and resource management has been a goal for the last 30 years. It is appropriate at this time to recognize the efforts, perseverance, and dedication of the many people who worked on devolution over the years and have brought us closer than ever to achieving this long-standing goal.
This Assembly’s past support for preliminary investments in implementation planning will serve us well as we move fully into finalizing our planning and, ultimately, implementing these long-awaited authorities.
As I stated earlier, in the 2013-2014 Main Estimates, you will note the shift in focus and resources from devolution negotiations to implementation planning. Negotiations funding of $3.230 million will sunset, and implementation planning activity will increase.
As you know, under the AIP, the Government of the Northwest Territories is eligible for funding of $22.5 million between the signing of the final agreement and the planned effective date. This funding will help to support implementation planning in areas such as organizational design, drafting the suite of anticipated legislation that will need to be mirrored in order to transfer authorities from the Parliament of Canada to this Legislative Assembly, property and asset transfers, human resource planning and staffing, waste site evaluation, as well as a completion of a number of required sub-agreements and, of course, our ongoing communication efforts.
As well as devolution, there are several other areas where the Department of Executive is taking the lead in supporting the priorities of the 17th Assembly.
Through the development and implementation of the Government of the Northwest Territories land use and sustainability framework, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure responsible stewardship through our land and resource management regime in order to build a strong and sustainable future. This work will support the proposed intergovernmental council proposed in the devolution intergovernmental land and resources agreement that will bring the Government of the Northwest Territories and partner Aboriginal governments together to build a stronger, more harmonized system of land and resource management in the Northwest Territories.
As Premier, I have worked with my federal counterparts to emphasize the need for our governments to work closely together. As part of our efforts under the land use and sustainability framework, we have developed an approach we call Northern Lands Northern Leadership. This approach highlights the need for both governments to acknowledge and adapt to the new role of the
Government of the Northwest Territories as a leader in land and resource management decisions.
An important part of our commitment to the people of the Northwest Territories is to strengthen and build relationships. Our regional directors chair the regional management committees and work with other departments to help co-ordinate Government of the Northwest Territories participation in many significant regional projects such as Mackenzie Valley fibre optic link, Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway, Sahtu oil and gas readiness, Northern mineral workforce development, natural gas supply in Norman Wells, and Inuvik Gas Project.
Building on the overwhelming positive feedback we have received, and in support of our decentralization efforts, the Department of Executive is pleased to announce that the 2013-2014 Main Estimates proposes to establish three new government service officers in the communities of Wrigley and Fort Resolution. This year we were able to staff the position in Tsiigehtchic, but for reporting purposes, this is identified as part of the 2013-2014 Main Estimates. These positions provide services directly to residents in their communities, sometimes in their homes, and in their Aboriginal language. They provide local employment and promote an efficient one-stop shopping approach for many government programs. It is our intention to look at ways to continue to expand this program to more communities and into new areas of e-business.
The Department of Executive provides short-term support to non-governmental organizations that deliver critical Government of the Northwest Territories funded programs and services through the NGO Stabilization Fund. The total amount of support available annually is $350,000. A process has been put in place to ensure contribution decisions are communicated to applicants no later than two months after the application deadline and funds are provided by the end of the summer.
Building, strengthening, and diversifying our economy is important to the people of the Northwest Territories. We need an efficient and effective regulatory system that supports responsible and sustainable development and that will serve Northerners well after devolution. We will continue to work with the Aboriginal and federal governments to improve regulatory processes the Northwest Territories will inherit post-devolution.
The Department of Executive also works with other departments through the established committees of cabinet and includes the re-establishment of the Committee on Sustainability of Rural and Remote Communities.
Through these committees, the department helps support initiatives in many priority areas such as mental health and addictions planning, the Anti-Poverty Strategy, Economic Opportunities Strategy,
Mineral Development Strategy, energy planning, land management, and major infrastructure projects.
The 2013-2014 Main Estimates identifies additional resources of $425,000 for the 2014 community survey that will be undertaken by the Northwest Territories Bureau of Statistics. The survey is done every five years. It collects information on housing, language, education, labour force activities, and traditional activities. It is important to have current and quality data from individuals and communities in order to make informed, evidence-based program and policy decisions. This is a project that benefits all departments, community and Aboriginal governments, and all of us as Members of the Legislative Assembly, as well as allowing us to monitor overall progress towards the goals of the 17th Assembly.
The Department of Executive continues to focus on improving accountability across government. For the first time, ministerial mandate letters were posted publicly in January 2012, and in the coming weeks, I will be reporting the results achieved in our first year under those mandates.
Building on our accountabilities, 2013-2014 will mark the introduction of the program review office’s three-year work plan, which was developed in collaboration and with input from all departments and the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. The work plan prioritizes the reviews, which will be conducted over the next three years.
This concludes my opening remarks. I look forward to answering any questions the committee may have. Thank you.
