Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Introduction
The Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to report on its review of the 2011-12 Public Accounts of the Northwest Territories. An internal review took place on March 14, and the public review took place on March 15, 2013. The committee would like to thank Assistant Auditor General Terry DeJong and Guy LeGras, principal, both of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, for assisting in the review. Members would also like to thank Northwest Territories comptroller general Warren St. Germaine and his staff, assistant comptroller general Louise Lavoie and Chervahun Emilien, manager of reporting and collections, for their appearance before the committee at the public review.
This is the standing committee’s first report of a review of the public accounts in the 17th Assembly,
and the first such report in approximately nine years.Preparation of the Committee for Review of the Public Accounts As there were no standing committee reviews of the public accounts during the previous two Assemblies, and most of the present members are new to the committee, none had previous
experience in reviewing the public accounts. The committee, therefore, considered that some preparation for this type of review would be helpful.
Mr. Daryl Dolynny, member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, attended the Canadian Council of Public Accounts Committees (CCPAC) annual conference, held August 19 to 21, 2012, in Iqaluit, Nunavut, on behalf of the standing committee. Mr. Dolynny shared the extensive materials provided to conference attendees on his return. Members understand the CCPAC conference to be a valuable training and networking experience. The committee hopes to send a larger delegation to the conference this year.
It also appears that the Northwest Territories is not the only jurisdiction with an interest in developing greater skills and expertise in reviewing the public accounts. The CCPAC is considering a half-day session at this summer’s conference to discuss capacity development issues and training needs distinct to small Legislatures in the North, with representatives of committees from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon; and staff of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and the Canadian Comprehensive Auditing Foundation.
In the meantime, the standing committee was able to meet with staff from the Office of the Auditor General and staff from the Office of the Comptroller General on December 6 and 7, 2012, to get a thorough introduction to the public accounts, their history in the Northwest Territories, and the process of preparation and auditing. Members reviewed sample public accounts documents and asked many questions. This introduction was very helpful, and the committee thanks staff from both offices for their assistance.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to now hand the floor over to Ms. Bisaro. Thank you.