1. What is the Review of Statutory Offices of the House of Assembly?
The Review of Statutory Offices of the House of Assembly is an independent review examining the structure or administration of six of the province’s statutory offices: Child and Youth Advocate, Seniors’ Advocate, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Citizens’ Representative, Chief Electoral Officer, and the Commissioner for Legislative Standards. The Auditor General is not included in our Review. We have been asked to write a report and make recommendations.
Our Review is guided and restricted by our Terms of Reference, which sets out the questions and topics we have been asked to look at. That means our report can only make recommendations on the questions and topics in our Terms of Reference. The Terms of Reference can be found on our website at: https://www.rsonl.ca/terms-of-reference/.
2. Who is conducting the Review?
The Honourable Robert A. Fowler will be conducting this Review and has put together a team of researchers and legal counsel to assist him. More information on the Review Team is available at https://www.rsonl.ca/members/.
3. Where is the Review located?
Our office is located on the 3rd Floor, Gosling Building, 285 Duckworth Street, St. John’s, NL, A1C 1G9.
4. What are the guiding principles of the Review?
We are committed to a thorough, fair, transparent, and independent review process. We are also committed to ensuring that any costs for this review are reasonable and necessary.
5. What will the Review process look like?
There will be several stages of our Review:
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- Collecting Comments and Submissions: We will be receiving and reviewing comments and submissions from the public, from the Statutory Offices, MHAs and other key people and organizations.
- Interviews: From there, we will interview a number of key people that can assist us with understanding the issues. We will post summaries of our interviews on our website.
- Research: We will also research a number of topics/questions that will help us make informed recommendations. This includes research into how other provinces and jurisdictions operate.
- Responses: After interviews have been completed, we will reach out to a number of people and organizations to get final responses.
- Report: Our team will put together a report and recommendations based on the information we have collected, the research we have done, and our analysis of that information and research.
6. Who can participate in the Review?
We want to hear from you! Any member of the public can comment on any issue related to our Terms of Reference. We would especially like to hear from you if you have direct experience with any of the six statutory offices.
We will also reach out directly for comments from the Statutory Offices, MHAs, and other key bodies, people, and organizations.
7. How can members of the public participate in the Review?
Any member of the public can send in comments by email at info@rsonl.ca or by mail to: 3rd Floor, Gosling Building, 285 Duckworth Street, St. John’s, NL, A1C 1G9. Please send in your written submission by July 17, 2023. If you are unable to provide your comments by email, you can contact us to arrange a phone or video conference.
All comments will be shared on our website, unless special exceptions are made. Please note that we will not share your personal contact information. If you have questions about this, please email info@rsonl.ca.
8. Can submissions be anonymous and/or confidential?
Yes, in special circumstances, participants may, on request or by invitation, provide a submission anonymously or confidentially. You can email info@rsonl.ca if you would like to provide anonymous or confidential comments and we will contact you about how to do this.
9. Where can I find the Review’s procedural guidelines?
Our formal procedural guidelines provide a more detailed and authoritative description of our procedures. They can be found at https://www.rsonl.ca/procedural-guidelines/.
10. How can I stay updated on the Review?
We will post updates and information on our website: www.rsonl.ca. We will also post updates on Twitter: @NLStatReview.