Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I want to thank the three members of the commission, Mr. Yakelaya, Ms. Allen, Mr. Hazenberg, for the work that they did. I did meet with them personally while they were doing their work. I want to thank them for the thoughtful report that they put together and just reiterate again that, while we go through these recommendations, none of them apply to sitting MLAs. They will only apply to the people who are elected for the 19th Assembly. Thanks very much, Mr. Chair.

I know that the Minister loves to answer questions, so what other work does our government need to do to allow for cremation services here in the Northwest Territories?

Merci, Monsieur le President. On September 27, 2017, my private Member's bill, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, was passed. The Minister of Health and Social Services said the following: "I commit to working together with the Departments of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources, and Municipal and Community Affairs to develop regulatory changes that may be required"; and, "The department will make it a priority to meet with other departments to map out the work required and the associated timelines." Can the Minister provide an update on what is happening with the regulation on cremation...

Merci, Monsieur le President. Yesterday, the Premier gave the keynote speech he called "Purgatory and Persistence: The Case for Economic Self-Determination in the Northwest Territories" at the Arctic Oil and Gas Symposium in Calgary. "Purgatory," really? This red alert part 2 negative messaging won't encourage investment in the NWT and the transformative change we need. The Premier is stuck in a time warp where fossil fuels dominate the NWT and world economy. This is not going to happen, given climate-change realities, commodity prices, and technological change. Blaming the media and southern...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I will not be supporting the recommendation from the commission which is the subject of this motion. It basically says that we should be taking the lesser of the cost-of-living increase or what the UNW negotiates, tying our compensation to what's negotiated with our workers. I don't think that's a good way to proceed. It creates an apprehension of bias, and I just don't think that's a good thing to do. The simpler way to do this is leave it as it is where it's automatically increased by the consumer price index. I think that is the best way to do this. I want to leave it...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just want to make it clear that the chairs of committees are not getting a raise as a result of the work that the commission did in this Assembly. There may be a small adjustment at the next Assembly, the Members that serve there, but there is no increases for Members' compensation or benefits that were recommended by the commission. Well, we will see how the rest of the debate plays out, but I do support this motion. I think we need to treat our constituency assistants as valued employees and make sure that they have access to healthcare and other sorts of benefits that...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I, too, support this motion. The information that we've received is also that this would cost about $100 per year per Member who doesn't return and would like to be able to access the service, so it really is a minimal cost and I think it provides the kind of support that some people may need as they leave political life. I am in support of this. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I support this recommendation, as well. For those who are transitioning out of political life, sometimes, there can be some dramatic changes. What this is proposing to do is to just make sure that there is some guidance in place to help with that kind of transition. We already have a training assistance program that can provide assistance up to $10,000 for Members as they move back into private life. This is just recognizing, and comes from the members of the commission, that sometimes there are other things that people have to consider in terms of their retirement and...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that, and I hope that he can share the clarity or insight that he's going to get from his department with me. I just want to nail this down, Mr. Speaker: can the Minister confirm that there are indeed no actual barriers in our legislation or regulations that would prevent the operation of a crematorium in the Northwest Territories? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the Minister for that. I was going to ask the Minister about a timetable; he's provided one. What additional work needs to be done beyond regulations under the Public Health Act?