Commission of Internal Economy addresses issues raised by the Citizens� Representative

The Commission of Internal Economy of the House of Assembly met yesterday to discuss the issues raised regarding the funding and operation of the Office of the Citizens� Representative, as sent in a letter from Fraser March to the Speaker of the House of Assembly on August 13 and reported in The Telegram on August 17.

In March of this year, the Commission approved the budget for the Office of the Citizens� Representative. This approval was based on the premise that the Citizens� Representative would monitor the activities generated by the people of this province through his office, and then assess the adequacy of the resources provided to effectively address these needs. Then, in turn, Mr. March would report his concerns and findings to the Commission so that together, collectively and cooperatively, a decision could be made to adjust, alter and fine tune future budgetary considerations to allow for the optimum performance of the Office of the Citizens� Representative in accordance with the House of Assembly�s fiscal ability. As the authority which governs the Office of the Citizens� Representative, the Commission of Internal Economy is dedicated to ensuring that Mr. March has the necessary resources to carry out the mandate of the office. However, the Commission was both surprised and unaware of the issues facing the Office of the Citizens� Representative until these concerns were raised publicly in last weekend�s newspaper.

The Members of the Commission of Internal Economy are trying to arrange a future meeting as soon as possible to further discuss the concerns raised by Mr. March. Members of the Commission will look at various means to ensure that the duties of the Representative can be carried out in an efficient and effective manner. The Legislature is committed to ensuring that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have access to the Citizens� Representative who, empowered by the people�s House of Assembly, can address needs relating to government accessibility and personal privacy.

The Citizens� Representative is appointed as an impartial officer of the House of Assembly for a period of six years. Mr. March was appointed to the position effective February 1, 2002 and, under the Citizens� Representative Act passed in the Spring 2001 sitting of the House of Assembly, has all the traditional powers of an ombudsman.

Media contact: Mr. Lloyd Snow, Speaker of the House of Assembly, (709) 729-3403.

2002 08 23                       4:45 p.m.