Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am pleased to present Committee Report 4-18(2), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2014-2015 Public Accounts.
Executive Summary
The Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to present its first report during the term of the 18th Legislative Assembly, on the review of the public accounts. The review, which included an orientation to the public accounts provided by staff of the Office of the Auditor General, took place in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, from April 12-14, 2016. The Committee notes that the consolidated 2014-2015 Public Accounts of the Government of the Northwest Territories received a clean audit opinion from the Auditor General and commends the Government of the Northwest Territories for this achievement.
Members of the Standing Committee would like to take the opportunity to thank officials from the Office of the Auditor General who traveled from Ottawa and Edmonton to provide the Standing Committee with their expert advice, which included an introduction to the public accounts and the role of the Office of the Auditor General. The Standing Committee also wishes to thank officials from the Office of the Comptroller General in the GNWT’s Department of Finance for their appearance before the Standing Committee.
2014-2015 Recommendations
As a result of this year’s review of the 2014-2015 Public Accounts, the Standing Committee on Government Operations makes the following recommendations to the Government of the Northwest Territories:
1. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Minister of Finance provide the committee with the interim public accounts by August 31st, in time for committee review of the government’s business plans.
2. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Office of the Comptroller General in the Department of Finance continue to work with the Auditor General of Canada and GNWT departments, boards, and agencies to complete the interim and final public accounts at the earliest possible date each year, and in time for their respective statutory reporting deadlines, and to seek the necessary extensions where those deadlines cannot be met.
3. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Office of the Comptroller General include in the consolidated public accounts a list of all departments, boards and agencies in the government reporting entity, their deadlines for the completion of financial statements, and whether or not those deadlines were met.
4. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories continue to provide updated timetables or schedules for the environmental assessment of all known potentially contaminated sites for which the GNWT is responsible, to be included annually in the public accounts.
5. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that, in addition to reporting, on a consolidated basis, on the performance measures specified in the Fiscal Responsibility Policy, the Government of the Northwest Territories report, on a non-consolidated basis, on the performance measures related to the policy provisions on Infrastructure Financing and Affordable debt.
6. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Minister of Finance work with the Minister responsible for Public Engagement and Transparency to develop plain language materials that report on the public accounts in a manner that is understandable for an interested, non-professional reader.
7. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Finance amend the Non-consolidated Schedule of Bad Debt Write-offs, Forgiveness and Student Loan Remissions to protect the privacy of individuals by removing the names of those who have received student loan remissions and reporting only the amount of the remissions.
8. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report within 120 days.