Bill Braden

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to welcome and reflect on the presence of so many people of the Armed Forces of various countries in the world who are touring the North on an extended training mission. Mr. Speaker, the military has had a long and very valued tradition of involvement and contribution and participation in this community, not only for the duty they have in Canada’s Arctic protecting the nation but with the very life and fabric of Yellowknife. I remember the establishment of what some might fondly recall as the “Yellow Submarine;" the first base here for the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. This whole process has been very interesting. I'm sure that anyone who is watching us perhaps via some of the communication, or will take the time to look at Hansard and the record of the debate this afternoon, will tell that there has been a lot of strategy and a lot of different options looked at to arrive at where we are going today. Part of that for me, Madam Chair, was working with Mr. Lafferty to see where potentially our two communities could work together or support each other in achieving the recommendation from the boundaries commission. As Mr. Lafferty...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Along with myself, I think there were five MLAs altogether who made presentations to Justice Vertes and the other two members of the Electoral Boundaries Commission earlier this year. Madam Chair, there were two points that I put to the commission at the time. The first one was that, indeed, there was no need to grow the size of the Assembly. The 19 Members provided for in the NWT Assembly were enough to do the work, perform the tasks that we're required to do, and so that maintaining the 19 was, at least from the point of view of the capacity and the number of MLAs...

Mr. Speaker, the Appeals Tribunal is an independent body from the WCB. It has its own council. Its members are, we like to think, well versed and well grounded in their work. Why is it that the WCB feels it has to go in front of this tribunal, an independent tribunal, to again state its case? Why, Mr. Speaker, does the WCB feel the need to intervene in a matter that it has already been found to treat the worker unfairly and unconstitutionally?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to see if I get this straight now. So the WCB has decided not to take the direct step of going to court and checking its work out, it's instead going to go to stakeholders and add yet more months, perhaps even longer, to getting a policy that is constitutionally correct, Mr. Speaker?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Last Friday the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board tabled in this Assembly a glossy version of the various activities of the WCB in the last year. The Minister related to us the cover story of this magazine which featured an inspirational story of a man who entered into Canada from Czechoslovakia who, after a serious work-related injury persevered and, through determination, returned to work.

Mr. Speaker, I'd remind the Minister that there is, in too many cases, a very unglossy version of affairs to do with the cases of some injured workers in our WCB...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that we report progress.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm speaking in favour of the bill. One point of clarification for the floor here this afternoon, in his opening remarks the Minister said that a proposed amendment to the Exemptions Act will raise the limit of the amount of wages or salaries that can be garnished to 30 percent of salaries and wages. So a maximum of 30 percent of a person's salary or wage can be garnisheed, or is it garnished? Madam Chair, is this 30 percent of gross or net earnings? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, WHEREAS there is a vacancy on the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight, due to the election of the honourable Member for Nahendeh to the Executive Council;

AND WHEREAS it is desirable to fill this vacancy;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Honourable Member for Nahendeh, that the Legislative Assembly approves the appointment of the Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger, to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, October 25th, 2006, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that the Legislative Assembly approves the appointment of the Member of Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger, to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today.