Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. Yesterday, the Auditor General of Canada released a very critical report on our government's management of climate change. Every jurisdiction in Canada is undergoing a similar audit to allow for some comparisons, best practices, and lessons learned, with a roll-up final report in 2018. While the NWT is a very small contributor to Canada's GHG emissions at 0.2 per cent, the effects are already being felt here, and we will experience some of the greatest impacts. We must do our fair share of mitigation and adaptation.

Environment and Natural Resources was reviewed as...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are on to recommendation number six. I move that this Assembly recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to replace the requirement for candidates to file statements from a bank or other financial institution with a practical, reliable requirement that ensures accountability and transparency; and further that the act be amended to provide the Chief Electoral Officer with discretion to extend elected candidates' deadline for filing accurate and complete financial statements for up to 15 calendar days. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Just before somebody tries to say that I don't support the road or that I don't support tourism or that I don't support communities, which I am sure somebody is going to try to accuse me of at some point, I do believe that the community needs to be supported in getting ready for this project. I just question the very highly unusual way of doing this through the Executive, through a supplementary appropriation, rather than as part of proper project planning. This sort of one-off request, I think, opens the door for other kinds of one-off requests that may come forward. Can we...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Just very quickly, the Chief Electoral Officer requested the mandate of the office be clarified to give her specific mandate to go and talk to kids and youth in our schools because right now it is a rather vague and I am sorry, I don't have the wording in front of me, but I think this is the kind of authority that the office should have to encourage our youth to get engaged and involved in future elections and our democratic process. This is a good thing. I want to thank her for this recommendation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is recommendation five from the report. Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to allow for the option of electronic voting for absentee ballots to provide an elector who has requested an absentee ballot to cancel his or her application in favour of an ordinary ballot on polling day, and to extend the period for voting in the office of the returning officer. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Okay. Are there additional funds that are coming from this government to assist with community capacity building and getting ready for tourism and so on, or is this it? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I understand the concern from my honourable colleague. I want to provide some assurance. I am sorry, I don't have the Elections Act in front of me, but other wording in the motion here does provide the Chief Electoral Officers with some discretion in terms of releasing information about investigations. He or she has to determine what is in the public interest. They also have the ability to not investigate a complaint if they believe it is frivolous or vexatious. Those are the typical words. I think they are in the act, but as I say, I don't have it in front of me. I...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I do appreciate the discussion and debate we are having. I think it is important for the public, as well. Mr. Chair, this is the third motion, third recommendation from the committee. I move that this Assembly recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended per recommendation 10 of the Chief Electoral Officer Report on the Administration of the 2015 Territorial General Election to reflect current practices of maintaining a permanent list of electors and further that the act be amended to remove references to identification of electors by gender. Thank you, Mr...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I am not sure that was a really clear commitment. If there was an effort to try to make up that shortfall, I think it would only be in the best interest of our children. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Nothing further.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is recommendation 12. I move that this Assembly recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to:

require the Chief Electoral Officer to notify the complainant in writing with reasons, if the Chief Electoral Officer decides not to conduct an investigation of a complaint;

make it an offence to obstruct the Chief Electoral Officer or his or her designate in carrying out an inspection or investigation under this act, or to withhold, conceal or destroy any records, documents or things relevant to the investigation;

provide that when the Chief Electoral...