Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to welcome the Minister and team here this afternoon. As we’ve seen in the opening comments from the Minister, we’re talking about insured services, we’re talking about the adjudication of shared services or insured services and there is a very close parallel to what the Canadian Armed Forces personnel receive as well as RCMP. There’s a definite link there. So my concern is, as the Minister said, there’s relevant federal legislation, which deems this as a difference between DND employees and RCMP employees, but I’m a bit concerned that this could set some...

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Does committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a document found in the Northern Public Affairs Journal authored by Dr. Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox, titled “It looks like the decisions have already been made. What to Do with NWT Resource Revenues.” Thank you.

It’s clear that this policy has not been reviewed because the Minister failed to answer the question. In my Member’s statement today I had indicated 1 percent, and that is what is being quoted right from the Minister’s own words here.

Communication of government policies is a vital step in transparency, and if I pulled the information off this pamphlet, it says for a full text of the new Fiscal Responsibility Policy, go to www.gov.nt.ca/fmbs/documents/famweb. Well, when you go to this website it says, “Page cannot be found.” Can the Minister explain this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement today. When you do a search result on our GNWT website under Fiscal Responsibility Policy, you’re whisked away to a two-page pamphlet with the good looking Mr. Floyd Roland’s picture on it. Now, I like simplicity in design as it makes the complex more palatable to work with; however, with our current debt wall and with this guiding policy consistently being used to prop up our financial future, I must ask, where is the meat on this bone? My questions today are for the Minister of Finance.

It appears that the fate of our...

I guess I’ll clarify my question. I was looking for a future outlook here in terms of future budgets, but if the Minister wants to comment on this current budget, that’s fine as well. It appears that we’re funding within. These new dollars aren’t being represented in the upcoming main estimates, which it sounds like that answer has already been done, but I’m looking for the future budgets.

What is the department prepared to provide in terms of forced growth in this area in terms of potential future costs? Thank you.

Thank you. I appreciate the Minister’s comments. I guess the concern I have as a Member is that this does set a fairly unique precedent that could follow because of the uniqueness and similarity between both DND insured services as well as RCMP. So I put caution to the wind that, although I do appreciate and I understand and I concur with what we’ve seen here in the act and the amendment of the act, I’m a bit concerned that this could be a future set-up.

I guess my other question has to do with there are always costs associated with such an implementation or a change for insured services in...

Agreed. We’ll commence after a short break.

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I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We have three items here before committee: Bill 6, Tabled Document 4-17(5) and Tabled Document 22-17(5). What is the wish of committee? Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m hoping that maybe we can have this policy for everyone to see.

Accountability is the cornerstone of transparency, and according to what this little pamphlet says on the Fiscal Responsibility Policy, government accountability for this policy is to be presented annually by the Minister of Finance in a report on the debt management results and performance criteria when the public accounts are presented.

Can the Minister indicate why we did not receive this report for the public accounts ending March 31, 2013? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.