Thank you, Mr. Chair. You’re going to have to bear with us as we try and get some information here because we didn’t expect some of the questions here. So we’re still trying to get our heads wrapped around the money that MACA collects and the money that the federal government collects and recognizing the land quantum, the fees could be different. This time next year we should have a better idea of how we balance the two numbers because the federal government, their fees, I know even for cabin leases, were a lot cheaper than what our fees were.

So there are some moving parts here and I think eventually we’re going to get to the day where all the fees are uniform, the fees that we inherit plus the ones that we have now. So right now, I mean, we’re just kind of jumping all over the place trying to wrap our heads around some of the numbers too. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. We understand this is a new department. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you. I recognize that reality. I don’t have to have these answers right away, but I think we’re on the other side trying to learn about the department too. So maybe we can help each other here.

The capital transfers, $461,000, again, come April 1st it’s a brand new department and we’re already

dealing with some capital transfers. I’m just wondering if we know off hand what that’s all about. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Director Hilderman.

Thank you very much for that information. Can we say what those assets are?

That’s great. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Committee, we’re on page 14-9, information item, revenue summary. Questions?

Page 14-10, information item, active position summary. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If we can get maybe a little bit of information here because it’s a new department. Understanding the number of active positions that are required to run this department, can the Minister indicate how many positions that AANDC or our federal counterparts use to complete the very same workload that we’re embarking on? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Eighty-six came over from AANDC, plus we have our folks that came over from MACA and our informatics division. Thank you.

Thank you. So 86 employees from our federal counterparts were doing exactly the same amount of work that we’re undertaking. Is that my understanding? Thank you.

Thank you. I don’t think it’s a question of 86. The workload is going to be different. There’s going to be some changes. We’re inheriting the 33 folks, so we’re inheriting folks from MACA. So the workload will be different. So I can’t say or agree that it’s going to be 86 that came over doing exactly the same work. You’ve got to look at the quality of work. I mean, there could be a number of different reasons. So we’re making sure that we’re prepared to hit the ground running and not try to learn this on the fly, but I think there’s a difference there. Thank you.

Thank you. I guess what I’m trying to do is establish what I call a baseline. So if our federal counterparts were doing very similar work in terms of providing, you know, the terms of reference and the mandate directorate of lands today, we keep hearing about devolution as being taking over control of activities and that we will evolve later. We keep hearing this from the Premier. I have to be honest, with all of the changes in devolution, I have to say that this is the one area that drew my most attention of concern that we were devolving and evolving on the same day. We’re adding roughly over 40 percent more employees than what I consider AANDC was providing with what I consider a very similar workload. So we’re adding, if my math is correct, 57 new employees to which AANDC was providing with 86 employees. I guess I have a hard wrapping my head around that. We’re adding a little over $8 million of wages at a time of constraint when I think that we’re trying to build this department and evolve this department to something to which I think we are going to be happy at the end of the day, but we’re doing so almost on day one, which I have a hard time understanding.

My question is: The workload that we’re expecting here with the bringing in of the MACA employees, informatics, we’re bringing in the AANDC employees, is the workload, is the mandate that much different than what AANDC was doing as of today?

It seems like when you go from 86 to the number that we have here, it’s a lot, but if you look at the 86 plus 33 that we inherited, that’s 119, so there are 119 existing positions. So there are 119 positions that are doing the work from AANDC and the territorial government, and we’ve identified, I think, the need for 25 new positions. I’m not sure if we’ve filled them yet but, I mean, we’re going to have to start briefing committee after April 1st to fill them in on

some of the direction that we’re going on some of the hiring that we’ve been doing. It’s actually 119 existing. I know 86 came over from AANDC. Again, here’s an opportunity, I think, post April 1st to have

a good briefing with committee and fill them in on some of the responsibilities that we have. We have new inspections that we need to do. I mean, there’s

a whole different workload, but it’s actually 119 existing positions, which sounds a lot better than 86.

If I can have a little latitude here just so I can compare apples to apples with the number of active positions. We know that the budget that we have for this department is a little over $26 million. Do we know what AANDC ran this very same department with in terms of what their budget was?

We don’t know exactly what AANDC’s budget was to run their operation. I mean, we do know that we received $67 million from the federal government as part of the devolution and the positions that we were going to be inheriting. As far as exactly what their budget was, we don’t know that. I suppose if we dug around we could find that.

If I can get the Minister and the department’s commitment to track down what the, say, rolling average of AANDC’s budget and Lands was for the last three years, and if they can supply that to committee. Again, I’m trying to use this as a baseline as we emerge and try to find a happy medium as to what this budget is for Lands and how we’re moving forward factoring in potential forced growth for next year. But it’s important that we, as Members, have a good understanding of what baseline means. My only baseline is what AANDC was using running this department for years and decades, so would the Minister commit to providing that information to committee?

I’ll commit to the Member that we’ll try and gather some of that information, if possible, and we’ll share it with committee.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Committee, we’re on page 14-10, information item, active position summary.