August 23, 2021 Crown and Central Agencies Committee 69
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STANDING COMMITTEE ON CROWN AND CENTRAL AGENCIES Hansard Verbatim Report No. 7 — August 23, 2021 Published under the authority of The Hon. Randy Weekes Speaker Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan Twenty-Ninth Legislature Hansard on the Internet Hansard and other documents of the Legislative Assembly are available within hours after each sitting. https://www.legassembly.sk.ca/Calendar STANDING COMMITTEE ON CROWN AND CENTRAL AGENCIES Mr. Terry Dennis, Chair Canora-Pelly Ms. Erika Ritchie, Deputy Chair Saskatoon Nutana Mr. Steven Bonk Moosomin Mr. Daryl Harrison Cannington Mr. Terry Jenson Martensville-Warman Mr. Greg Lawrence Moose Jaw Wakamow Mr. Dana Skoropad Arm River STANDING COMMITTEE ON CROWN AND CENTRAL AGENCIES 67 August 23, 2021 [The committee met at 08:30.] Hansard operator will do it for you. The Chair: — Good morning. Welcome, members, to the Standing Committee on Crown and Central Agencies committee. I’m Terry Dennis, the Chair. With us today we have Aleana Young. We have Derek Meyers, Daryl Harrison, Terry The Chair: — We will now move on to our first items on the Jenson, Tim McLeod, and Dana Skoropad. agenda and consideration of the Provincial Auditor’s 2019 report volume 2, chapter 48, Standing Committee on Crown and Central We have three documents to table today: CCA 11-29, Public Agencies; and the Provincial Auditor’s 2020 report volume 2, Service Commission: Responses to questions raised at April 21st, chapter 46, Standing Committee on Crown and Central 2021 meeting. We have CCA 12-29, SaskBuilds: Responses to Agencies. questions asked at the April 29th, 2021 meeting and CCA 13-29, Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan: Report of I’d like to welcome Ms. Clemett and thank you for your role of public losses, April 1st, 2021 to June 30th, 2021. Acting Provincial Auditor while the Standing Committee on Public Accounts undertakes this hiring competition. Please I’d like to advise the committee that, pursuant to rule 145(1), the introduce your officials and make your comments. following documents were permanently committed to the committee. Please bear with me; this list is fairly long. Ms. Clemett: — Thank you very much. So thank you, Chair, Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation 2020-2021 annual report; Deputy Chair, and committee members. With me this morning I SGC Holdings Inc. financial statements for the year ending am joined by Ms. Kim Lowe. She is the audit principal, the office March 31st, 2021; Saskatchewan Opportunities Corporation liaison with the Clerk of this committee. With me, behind me, is 2020-21 annual report; Saskatchewan Water Corporation also Mr. Kelly Deis, and he is going to be presenting when we 2020-21 annual report; SGI Canada 2020-21 annual report; get to the SGI chapter. Saskatchewan Auto Fund 2020-21 annual report; SGI Canada Insurance Services Ltd. 2020 annual report; Coachman Insurance Ms. Lowe will provide the committee with a brief overview of Company 2020 annual report. the two chapters about the work of this committee, the 2019 report volume 2, chapter 48, and the 2020 report volume 2, SaskEnergy 2020-21 annual report; 2020-21 SaskEnergy Inc., chapter 46. These chapters do not contain any recommendations. TransGas Ltd., and Bayhurst Gas Ltd. financial statements; Rather, they provide the committee with an overview of the Saskatchewan Power Corporation 2020-21 annual report; Power overall status of the committee’s recommendations resulting Corporation Superannuation Plan 2020 annual report; from our office’s work, the status of the consideration of that NorthPoint Energy Solutions Inc. 2020-21 financial report; work, and the status of the committee’s review of the annual SaskTel 2020-21 annual report; Saskatchewan reports of CIC [Crown Investments Corporation of Telecommunications financial statements for the year ending Saskatchewan] and its subsidiary corporations. I will now turn it March 31st, 2021; Saskatchewan Telecommunications over to Ms. Lowe. International financial statements for the year ending March 31st, 2021; Directwest Corporation financial statements for the year Ms. Lowe: — Thank you. So in your review of our work and ending March 31st, 2021; SecurTek Monitoring Solutions recommendations, your committee makes recommendations. financial statements for the year ending March 31st, 2021; Your committee includes its recommendations in its reports to Saskatchewan Telecommunications Pension Plan annual report the Assembly. Our office assesses the government’s compliance for the year ending March 31st, 2021. with its recommendations and reports on its status. We report the results of these assessments in either specific chapters or, if not Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan 2020-21 discussed elsewhere in the report, in a table in the Crown and annual report; Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan, Central Agencies chapter. CIC Asset Management Inc. financial statements for the year ending March 31st, 2021; Crown Investments Corporation of As set out in chapter 46 of our 2020 report volume 2, as of Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis Fund Inc. financial September 29th, 2020 the government implemented 89 per cent statements for the year ending March 31st, 2021; Crown of the recommendations included in the committee’s reports. As Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan well, by this date, the government partially implemented 33 per Immigrant Investor Fund Inc. financial statements for the year cent of the remaining recommendations. At the conclusion of this ending March 31st, 2021; Capital Pension Plan 2020-21 annual meeting, the committee will be up to date in its review of our report; Saskatchewan Government Insurance Superannuation chapters. Plan 2020 annual report. In addition, the committee is responsible for examining annual Committee members, before you you have a copy of today’s reports of CIC and its subsidiary corporations. At September meeting notice which is our agenda. We’ll consider the annual 29th, 2020, the committee had completed its review of all of the reports and Provincial Auditor’s chapter related to the 2018-19 annual reports of CIC and its subsidiary corporations committee, for SGI [Saskatchewan Government Insurance], except one, Saskatchewan Opportunities Corporation. SaskGaming, SaskWater, and SaskEnergy. Are there any questions or comments on today’s agenda? The committee had not yet reviewed the 2019-20 annual reports of CIC and its subsidiary corporations. Our office encourages the Seeing none, I would remind the committee members and committee to continue to review the related chapters in our officials not to touch the microphones. They are sensitive and the reports and the annual reports of CIC and its subsidiaries in a 68 Crown and Central Agencies Committee August 23, 2021 timely way, in that review of these documents contributes to the chapter 46. Is that agreed? Carried. We’ll now take a short recess committee fulfilling its important role — that is, holding the to bring the minister and officials in for SGI. Thank you. government accountable in its management of CIC and its subsidiary corporations. And that concludes my overview. [The committee recessed for a period of time.] The Chair: — Thank you. Do any members have any questions? [08:45] I recognize Ms. Aleana Young. Saskatchewan Government Insurance Ms. A. Young: — Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you all for being here today. I do have a couple questions, relatively routine The Chair: — Welcome back and welcome to the minister and as it seems like significant good work has been done by this officials from SGI. Before we begin our consideration of the committee especially over the last five years. It predates my time, Provincial Auditor’s chapter and annual report under but I understand there was a significant backlog of work that this consideration today, I’d like to take a moment to explain the committee undertook. And I would like to commend all the format that we will be using today. For consideration of the members who came before me on this committee for getting Provincial Auditor’s chapters, I will first recognize the Acting through that as well as all of the staff at the Provincial Auditor’s Provincial Auditor who will proceed to introduce her officials and the Clerks who assist in this work. and provide presentation on the chapters under consideration. As such, I noted in my review of the chapters that the committee Once completed, I will recognize the minister to introduce his met a considerable number of times each year to deal with this officials and respond to the chapters under consideration. After backlog. I believe it was 10 times in 2018 and then seven times all the auditor’s chapters have been considered for the Crown in 2019. And while I recognize the majority of the work has been corporation under review, I’ll excuse the auditor and then move done, I’m curious if the auditor has comment on or on to consideration of the annual reports. Are there any questions recommendation or suggestion on any meetings going forward on the process? Seeing none, I will turn it over to Ms. Clemett to and how frequently those should occur to prevent future backlog. introduce her officials and make her presentation on the 2019 report volume 1, chapter 11, Saskatchewan Government Ms. Lowe: — Well like I said in the presentation, you will be up Insurance, monitoring fines and automated speed enforcement to date at the end of this meeting, so there won’t be any chapters program. to consider. Going forward, you know, when we do have future chapters, it’s always good to keep up to date. So you know, I Ms. Clemett: — Good morning, Chair, Deputy Chair, think in the future there’s maybe one or two chapters coming up, committee members, Minister, and officials. With me today so having those at your next meetings or soon after is always is Mr. Kelly Deis, deputy provincial auditor responsible for the good to keep it up to date and not get that backlog.