Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Chair, I am going to turn to the Minister of Education and see if he can speak to the system issues as they now exist. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think the key point is the system that was previously there has been discontinued and the service for it stopped last June, basically a year ago. We have a non-functioning system that contains all the basic data we have about students across the land, grade K to 12 in all the schools in the Northwest Territories, as well as the specific information for report cards, all the plans they do, the student plans and the demographic information. We have a fairly mobile population, so there are people, families, children moving around. That system that provides all that...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 23, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2013-2014, be read for the second time.

This bill makes supplementary appropriations for infrastructure expenditures for the Northwest Territories for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What I understand these numbers to mean – and I will get the deputy minister to help me on this – the departments are funded for the benefits to employees at about 17.5 percent. The actual costs of those benefits are 23 percent. Normally what is expected and what we keep running into issues with costs and how people use vacancies to cover off the shortfall, that 6 percent gap is substantial. This process has closed that gap, so that deficit of 17.5 percent has been closed and they will be funded at 23 percent, so this area here won’t have that particular budgetary...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 11, Financial Administration and Public Agency Statutes (Borrowing Provisions) Amendment Act, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Financial Administration Act as well as statutes respecting five public agencies to enhance Financial Management Board oversight of activities of the government and public agencies that constitute borrowing for the purposes of the Northwest Territories borrowing limit regulations made under the Northwest Territories Act.

The savings issue would be, I believe, addressed through the cost avoidance of the inefficiencies we’ve just talked about and the better use of our manpower that we’ve discussed would be some of the key areas where you can equate the two, I believe. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled “Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2013-2014.” Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. These offices will provide a location in those communities listed for the site of the financial shared services where, as we’ve laid out to committee and we got committee support to bring these services together, so that we could hopefully be more coordinated and effective as a government. On the financial management side and the very many services that had previously been dispersed out among various departments, now we’ve taken a step starting with Inuvik and moving on to these other communities to integrate those services. I’ll ask, Mr. Chairman, your indulgence if...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is work being done by the government. There are discussions among the co-management boards. There is a recognition that those types of thresholds, as the Member has pointed out, have value as we have seen from the successful application of the Porcupine caribou herd management approach where they have those thresholds and triggers.

As we have the discussions, we make sure we have the baseline information that gives us some common comfort that we have a clear number for a particular herd and herd size that work is being done. We expect to come forward here in the...