Members' Handbook
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
137. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Members’ and Precinct Services staff provide various administrative services in order to assist Members. Many of the services provided are referenced in other sections of this manual, particularly with respect to Members indemnities, benefits, entitlements and allowances.
137.1 TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Members’ and Precinct Services is responsible for making all sessional, Committee and constituency business travel and accommodation arrangements for Members. A Member can request that travel arrangements for constituency travel be made through a travel agency of their choosing.
Travel arrangements made through Members’ and Precinct Services are GST exempt and are paid for using a corporate credit card.
137.2 SERVICE CONTRACTS
Upon request, Members’ and Precinct Services will assist Members in the preparation of service contracts. For these purposes, a service contract is between the Member and the person(s) being contracted, not between the Legislative Assembly and the person(s) being contracted. Refer to Section 117.8 of this Handbook for further details.
137.3 PROCUREMENT REQUESTS
All goods and services must be purchased through Members’ and Precinct Services. An email to LA_Procurement_Services @gov.nt.ca requesting procurement for goods or services, is required. The request must provide the name of the supplier, a description of the goods or services required and a cost. In the event of a meeting or community event, a date of the meeting or the community event must be provided.
A Purchase Order will be provided to the Member or Constituency Assistant to forward onto the supplier. In the event that a third-party credit card authorization is requested, Procurement Services will ensure the supplier is provided with the adequate information for the purchase and will relay the confirmation to the member or Constituency Assistant. Procurement requests may take up to three business days to complete.
137.4 CORPORATE CREDIT CARD FOR TRAVEL
Each Member will be assigned a corporate credit card to be used solely for travel purposes. The card is only to be used for transportation and accommodation.
It may be used for the purchase of the following duty travel items:
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scheduled and chartered air transportation;
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any type of regularly scheduled transportation;
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accommodations; and
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rental vehicles and the operation of rental vehicles.
A corporate credit card must not be used to pay for meals, telephone calls, room service, or any other goods or services that are not included within the basic room rate. The duty traveler shall pay separately for such items, using their own funds.
137.5 DIRECT DEPOSIT
Direct deposit services are mandatory for all Members and Government of the Northwest Territories employees with respect to their bi-weekly indemnity.
Members must complete the Direct Deposit form and submit it to Members’ and Precinct Services along with a sample cheque marked “VOID” for the account in which the payments will be deposited. A copy of the form can be obtained from the Government of Northwest Territories website at www.hr.gov.nt.ca or by contacting Members’ and Precinct Services.
Members should note that Financial and Employee Shared Services (FESS) requires three weeks’ notice to make any changes to a Member’s banking information.
138. LEGAL SERVICES
The Legislative Assembly has a Law Clerk and Deputy Law Clerks under contract to provide legal services to Members and to the Legislative Assembly upon request.
The Legislative Assembly will pay for up to a total of 40 hours of legal services for each Member per term, outside of sitting hours. Members may purchase additional services from their Constituency Work Expense Allowance.
Legal services that are paid by the Legislative Assembly will be provided by the Law Clerk or Deputy Law Clerk, unless the Clerk approves alternate legal counsel. Where the costs are paid from a Member’s Constituency Work Expense Allowance, the Member may obtain legal services from the counsel of their choice.
138.1 SCOPE OF SERVICES
Legal services provided to Members must be of a general, constituency-wide nature or be directly related to the Member’s responsibilities as a Member in relation to the ordinary and proper representation of members of the public.
Any costs associated with the provision of advice for specific and personal concerns of a Member, a constituent or any other person, will not be paid by the Legislative Assembly and may not be reimbursed from the Member’s constituency work expense allowance.
The Law Clerk and Deputy Law Clerks will not undertake any work that is of a non-legal nature. The Office of the Clerk is available to provide assistance to Members in all areas other than issues that have direct legal implications.
138.2 LEGAL SERVICES DURING SESSION
The Law Clerk and Deputy Law Clerks are available to provide legal services to Members while they are in attendance at the Legislative Assembly while the House is sitting on a first come, first served basis. Legal services that are carried out during Session will not be deducted from the 10 hours of services paid by the Legislative Assembly or from the Member’s Constituency Work Expense Allowance.
138.3 APPROVAL FOR PROJECTS
Legal service projects that are anticipated to exceed five hours should be approved in advance by the Clerk unless the Member is paying for the service using their Constituency Work Expense Allowance. On occasion, a Member may not wish the nature of the project to be disclosed, and where this applies, the Law Clerk will deal with the request for approval on behalf of the Member, bearing in mind the importance of the solicitor-client relationship.