Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the intent of this motion to create flexibility within the Legal Services Board when it comes to hiring an executive director. However, I do have to say that there are a number of compelling reasons that the executive director should be a lawyer. The bottom line is, if that non-lawyer is recruited as an executive director, a senior lawyer would have to be hired to perform those functions that the executive director is required to provide as a result of this legislation. At a time when federal contributions to the Legal Aid Program are frozen, we cannot...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The provision that the Member is talking about existed in the original Legal Services Act. It was mostly in existence when Nunavut was still part of the Northwest Territories. Those regional bodies haven’t existed in a large number of years and there is no plan to bring them back. What we would like to see is a commission that is representative of the Northwest Territories. So membership on that commission would include people from regional offices, regional areas so we can make sure that we have a good cross-section of Northerners sitting on that commission providing...

I believe the number is 14. During the last budget session, Members requested that we increase that number. I think it’s gone up to 14 now that are actually GNWT employees and employees of the commission itself.

Thank you, Madam Chair. With me today on my left is Lucy Austin. She is legislative counsel and former executive director of the Legal Services Board. Ian Rennie is on the far side. He is legislative counsel. Beside me is the assistant deputy minister of the Attorney General branch, Mark Aitken.

I am pleased to be here today to talk to you about Bill 5, Legal Aid Act.

Firstly, I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Social Programs for their review of this bill and for all of the constructive feedback they have provided in a very collaborative manner. A number of motions were made in committee and I am pleased the bill has improved as a result.

The Legal Aid Act will replace the existing outdated Legal Services Act. This new act provides the framework for the operations of the Legal Aid Program here in the Northwest Territories. It is not intended to set out the details of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled Action Plan 2012-2016, 20/20: A Brilliant North – Public Service Strategic Plan, July 2012.

Thank you, Madam Chair. On my right is Mark Aitken, the acting assistant deputy minister for the attorney general branch. On my left is Kelly McLaughlin, the acting director of legislation.

I’d certainly be interested in talking to Cabinet and committee about that possibility and discussing it in more detail with the Member.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am pleased to appear before the committee today to review Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Judicature Act. I would like to start by thanking members of the Standing Committee on Social Programs for their careful review of the bill.

The Judicature Act governs the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories.

There are two substantive changes to the act. The first adds a new section providing that trade orders obtained against the NWT under the Agreement on Internal Trade may be filed with the clerk of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories. Once...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The means by which fuel prices are determined hasn’t changed. Costs are based on what it actually costs to buy the product by the GNWT, the cost to ship it to the communities, and there is an admin fee put on it so that individuals in the communities who are distributing it have the money to cover their services, and there are some taxes as well. The means by which these numbers are determined hasn’t changed, but it does result in a higher cost as the product gets more expensive for us to buy.