Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Mr. Dolynny.

I guess, for just an explanation, what are these new offices, which weren’t on the so-called operations plan last time we did this, supposedly going to be providing in terms of service?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. These offices will provide a location in those communities listed for the site of the financial shared services where, as we’ve laid out to committee and we got committee support to bring

these services together, so that we could hopefully be more coordinated and effective as a government. On the financial management side and the very many services that had previously been dispersed out among various departments, now we’ve taken a step starting with Inuvik and moving on to these other communities to integrate those services. I’ll ask, Mr. Chairman, your indulgence if the deputy minister has any further detail he’d wish to provide.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Aumond.

Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, I appreciate the explanation. I’m trying to bridge what we passed just last week in another supplementary infrastructure appropriation, which is about three-quarters of a million dollars for tenant improvements and office space. Now, I’m trying to combine this with this new component, all under the guise of financial shared services, so now we’re looking at… In my mind, if I add the two together, now we’re at $1.3 million of, I call it, unforeseen, or sometimes it’s always put to us here at committee as a one-time capital cost or one-time cost here.

With that in mind, these one-time costs, as we move and prepare for the next budget cycle, are we going to see more of these in the financial shared services, or with this appropriation we are going to be at our quota in terms of making sure that we’re up to speed and have the full model implemented?

I’m satisfied with the explanations. No further questions.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have some questions, as well, on this particular expenditure, the financial shared services. Mr. Dolynny has mentioned two numbers, but there’s one more number under Public Works and Services a little further on in this document. It adds up to close to $2 million. I think it’s $1.9 million, give or take. I appreciate that these are one-time costs, and I appreciate that we are doing this for the better. This is going to presumably make our financial services somewhat better. But it is a large amount of money.

I guess I would like to know from the Minister, and again, I have to say, I appreciate the fact that we have approved this going forward with the financial shared services, but the kind of bottom line question is: What are we getting for this $2 million? If I could get an explanation of the benefits of spending this money to establish our financial shared services together.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What we are going to get is some efficiencies and economies of scale where, recognizing that as a large organization, a corporation, there are some core services where you need to have consistency and integration where there is some standard volume directed processes, transaction issues, as Mr. Aumond indicated, where you need that consistency yet you can have more economies of scale. We are better coordinated. We tried to have a very devolved, decentralized type of model, which works in some program areas, but as we’ve discovered with information, IT, with finances, with procurement services, with our planning for capital planning, that with a big organization, with the volume of money we generate in a number of programs we are involved in, there is a core service area that requires this type of coordination. That’s what you’re going to get for this investment, and you’re going to get on the procurement services and you’ve gotten on the shared TSC services.

Thanks to the Minister for the explanation. I have to ask the question, and I think I probably know the answer, but we are spending this money, we are going to probably be providing better services in terms of our financial services. Are there any savings from bringing things in together and doing things in a consolidated way? Are we saving money?

The savings issue would be, I believe, addressed through the cost avoidance of the inefficiencies we’ve just talked about and the better use of our manpower that we’ve discussed would be some of the key areas where you can equate the two, I believe. Thank you.

Office of the comptroller general, not previously authorized, $560,000. Agreed?

Total

department, not previously authorized, $739,000. Agreed?

Page 7, Municipal and Community Affairs, operations expenditures, directorate, not previously authorized, negative $68,000. Agreed?

School of Community Government, not previously authorized, $1,000. Agreed?