Secretary of the Financial Management Board / Comptroller General

The responsibilities of the Secretary of the Financial Management Board, as outlined in the Financial Management Board Secretariat Establishment Policy, are as follows:

1. The Secretary of the Financial Management Board is responsible for the administration of the Financial Management Board Secretariat including the planning, administration and other support functions necessary to further the Secretariat’s mandate.
2. The Secretary of the Financial Management Board is accountable to the Chair of the Financial Management Board for the proper conduct of the business of the Secretariat.
3. The Secretary of the Financial Management Board shall perform such other duties as the Board may assign.
4. The Secretary of the Financial Management Board shall perform the duties of the Comptroller General. In this capacity, the Secretary is accountable to the Chair of the Financial Management Board for those functions specifically assigned to the Comptroller General by the Financial Administration Act and other Government of the Northwest Territories legislation.

The Secretary of the Financial Management Board is also the Comptroller General for the GNWT. In this dual role, he/she may direct departments and agencies across the government to meet the requirements for sound expenditure and financial management in accordance with the Financial Administration Act and any related regulations and Financial Management Board policies and directives. The Secretary/Comptroller General will arbitrate, or refer to the Financial Management Board, whenever there are any questions from departments and agencies on the legislation, regulations, or policies.

A Comptroller General is an essential source of valued direction and advice on: information on effective planning, the allocation and spending of funds, and on the control and accountability of these consistent with legislative requirements. The Comptroller General also establishes the framework for comptrollership in the organizations.

While departments and agencies are responsible and accountable for the implementation of these requirements within their operations, the Comptroller General is accountable for ensuring that the content of policies and regulations meet the intended objectives of the Financial Management Board. The Comptroller General is also accountable for communicating legislation, regulations and policies, and for effectively communicating and providing guidance and support in their interpretation.

If the Comptroller General becomes aware of a significant risk to sound comptrollership in a department or agency, the Comptroller General will require the responsible Deputy Head to take corrective action. In extreme cases, the Comptroller General may seek special authority of the Financial Management Board to directly intervene in the management of the department or agency until an adequate level of comptrollership is attained.

Departmental Comptrollers and their staff are encouraged to seek advice and guidance from the Comptroller General or his delegates on comptrollership issues.