This is page numbers 4183 - 4214 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was work.

Topics

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 4183

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, committee. Committee, we have next agreed to consider Committee Report 8-18(3), the Report on the Review of the 2016-2017 Public Accounts. I will go to the chair of the standing committee which considered the report, or which authored the report, for any opening comments. Mr. Testart.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 4183

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yesterday, the Standing Committee on Government Operations presented its Report on the Review of the 2016-2017 Public Accounts of the Government of the Northwest Territories. The committee report included the eight recommendations, and I look forward to the opportunity to discuss the report and recommendations in Committee of the Whole today. Members of the committee may have individual comments. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 4183

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. I will open the floor to any general comments on the report. Do we have general comments from the committee? Seeing none, we will move into the detail. As Members are aware, the recommendations in these reports are usually moved as motions. For those following along, the first recommendation can be found on page 8 of 21. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Office of the Comptroller General in the Department of Finance consider, and report back to the Standing Committee on Government Operations on, the utility of entering into service agreements or memoranda of understanding with GNWT boards, agencies, or other entities requiring support or assistance to complete their year-end financial reporting as required under the Financial Administration Act. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is being distributed. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

Thank you. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories considers bringing together all of its information about P3 projects under one note in the consolidated public accounts until such time as the new Canadian Public Sector Accounting Board standards on the accounting treatment of P3 projects are put in place. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Currently, in the public accounts, P3 information is scattered across several schedules. In our discussions with the Auditor General, we understand that their recommendations were to move all of that P3 information into one note in the consolidated public accounts, and that would give easier access and understanding of what the GNWT's P3 commitments are and present the information clearly to interested members of the public.

It should be noted that Canadian Public Sector Accounting treatment of P3 projects is still in flux, and there has not been a consistent practice that has been developed. Many jurisdictions are struggling with this challenge of how to properly present on P3 projects in public accounts.

Despite the Auditor General's interest in this, they were willing to accept that the information was present in the public accounts, and the committee certainly isn't of the opinion that that information was not there. Committee's interest is in ensuring that all of the information is placed under one note so it is much easier to find and much easier to understand to someone who may be flipping through the public accounts and looking for P3 commitments. I hope that this motion passes, and the government will consider our recommendation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. O'Reilly.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I support this recommendation. I was happy to sit in on the public accounts review. I am not a committee member, but this is, I think, one of their key recommendations. The current information about P3s is spread across four different parts of the public accounts. I want to give credit to the Comptroller General for improving the amount of information that is now disclosed about P3s.

Bringing that together in one place, as this recommendation is suggesting, I think, is certainly in the spirit of openness and transparency that our government has ascribed to, so I support this motion. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories make GNWT's inventory of contaminated sites available online, modelled upon and with a level of disclosure comparable to the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory maintained by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. O'Reilly.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have had cause to use the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory. It is a very detailed listing for individual waste sites, contaminated sites by department. You can see the status of the assessment and the remediation work that has been done on each of those sites over about a 10-year period and the remaining outstanding liability. It is a very good resource.

I would urge that our government move towards greater disclosure and transparency around these matters. I'm not saying we have to adopt the federal system right away, but it is something that we should be moving towards. I would urge the Minister of Finance to have a look at that website and see what's there.

We are going to inherit a number of these sites or at least management of these sites pursuant to the devolution agreement, and we need to get our house in order to make sure that we can properly assess the liabilities and make sure that the remediation takes place in a timely fashion. If you don't have that stuff together in one place as the federal government does, it can be awkward at best.

I support this motion. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories, giving consideration to the observations made in this committee report, strive to improve upon the information and the Financial Statement Discussion and Analysis section of the public accounts that indicates how the GNWT has met the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Policy related to debt servicing and infrastructure of financing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do want to commend the Office of the Comptroller General for taking previous year's review seriously and bringing more detailed analysis of the Fiscal Responsibility Policy into the public accounts.

It is the committee's understanding that this information has not been available previously, and as it is the cornerstone of our government's fiscal policies or budgeting policies, committee feels very strongly that this information needs to be clearly presented to the public. Given that the responsibility policy is an accountability mechanism as much it is a limit on spending, it is imperative that we have clear accounting of it so that it is clear that the government is living up to its promises, commitments, and policies.

Where we feel that it can be improved is that much of the information was quite confusing to the committee on first read. When we were able to receive evidence from the Comptroller General around the Financial Statement Discussion and Analysis section, we were able to learn where those numbers come from and better understand them, but not everyone in the public has the benefit of sitting down with the Comptroller General.

The committee feels that, if we can find a way to clarify this and make the information in the facts and figures relatable, easy to find, and understandable, it will ultimately result in a more readable and consistent document and allow for the goals of accountability and transparency that are set out in the policy to be properly realized in the public accounts document.

I support this motion, and I hope others will as well. Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Mr. O'Reilly.