Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 15, Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On my right is Kelly McLaughlin, the director of legislation. On my left is Emily Ingarfield, the policy analyst. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am pleased to be here today to speak about Bill 18, Apology Act. I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Social Programs for their review of this bill.

This legislation would make an apology or expression of sympathy made by or on behalf of a person inadmissible as evidence of fault or liability in any judicial or quasi-judicial civil proceeding. Nine Canadian jurisdictions have enacted similar legislation.

In the absence of this legislation, people are unsure of the legal consequences of taking the natural human step of making an apology. They fear that an apology can be considered as...

Yes, Mr. Chair.

The short answer is yes. The steps required for the disposal of the Hay River hospital include a number of different steps. The Department of Health and Social Services, as I’ve indicated previously, must first identify that they don’t have any use for it. If they have some uses for it, then we will work with them to find a way to make that building meet those needs. If the old hospital is actually deemed surplus to the needs of the Department of Health and Social Services, the disposal of the facility would follow our normal provisions, which I’m sure the Member is familiar with, and that’s...

Mr. Speaker, there is no question, we’ve already done the technical analysis of the building and it is completely inappropriate to use that building as a hospital in its current status. It is certainly cheaper to build a new one than to try to bring that building up to the status of a hospital.

At the same time, yes, office buildings are a different standard than a health centre, but we still have an obligation for public infrastructure to make sure that our buildings meet code. We tend to build above the standard building code for Canada. We would have to bring that building up to a certain...

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize one of the Lifeguards for Lodune from the Great Slave riding, Ms. Jennifer Pitt. I would also like to recognize Lodune’s mother, Dehga, as well as Lodune’s grandparents, Gabrielle Mackenzie-Scott and Patrick Scott, all constituents of the Great Slave riding. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. With me today on my left is Gary MacDougall, the director of legal registries; and on my right, Ian Rennie, legal counsel.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to be here today to talk to you about Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Justices of the Peace Act. I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Social Programs for its review of the bill.

Justices of the peace fulfill an important role within the justice system of the Northwest Territories. They serve in communities where they work and live, performing a range of judicial and quasi-judicial functions. Justices of the peace carry out duties on a part-time basis and generally preside over summary conviction matters arising out of the territorial statutes...