Kevin O'Reilly

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. Towards the end of last Assembly, I did participate in a oneday seminar with a financial planner along with at least one other MLA and our partners. I found it to be very useful. And I understand with COVID, it's not as easy to access these services as it was before but I expect that that will improve. So this already happens, and it actually happens across the GNWT, I know, for other employees as well, that they are offered similar opportunities for training and advice. So I agree and support this recommendation and knowing that it already happens. Thanks, Madam...

Thanks, Madam Chair. I actually support this recommendation. I think it you know, that's without a lot of knowledge or understanding exactly what the reciprocal arrangement could or should look like, but I think this is another way of trying to encourage people to run for office. And if they knew that their pensions could be brought forward to include the service that they do in this House, then I think it could encourage more people to run for public office. And that's why I would support this. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I'm not going to provide any comments on turmoil; I think those are probably best left to folks outside of the House and their own views. But just to be very clear, this is not about increasing or decreasing the wages of any of us sitting in this Chamber. This is about setting the rules for the next Assembly. And that's what the implications of all of these motions are. It's about changing the rules for the next people that come in after us so none of this is about us, quite frankly. So I do have some sympathy with deputy chairs and the work that they've done, and I've...

Thanks, Madam Chair. So the purpose of this motion is to ensure that there's some equitable sharing of the duties and responsibilities within the Assembly amongst the Regular MLAs. We have a number of committees. There's no requirement currently in the rules for Members to actually sit on committees. So this will create not just an expectation but, I believe, a requirement that, you know, Members will serve on committees in the future. And that just ensures that we have a better distribution of the work amongst us all and that the work gets done as well. So that's the purpose of this, is to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress. Mahsi.

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. Yeah, first off, I'd like to thank the members of the Commission for their thoughtful consideration of the issues that were brought before them. I know I spoke to them personally a couple of times as well during their deliberations or during their factfinding part of their mission.

Yes, I served on the transition matters committee on the last Assembly. I'd be happy to do so again. That's an opportunity to look at how the orientation for incoming MLAs might be changed or improved. And we did that last time around, and I suspect we'll have some additional advice...

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. I guess I would like to thank the members of the commission for the work that they undertook. I did review the interim report, and again the final report. I didn't make a submission as I think there's always some risk in sitting MLAs actually participating in these kinds of processes. But, you know, I think, as I've heard some other Members speak, that the difficult decision of the number of MLAs and how the boundaries should be drawn has largely been kind of put off to eight years in the future when the next Electoral Boundaries Commission would sit and consider...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to pick up where my colleague from Monfwi just left off almost in terms of income assistance. But so my question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

The federal House of Commons announced two cash benefits to offset the impacts of the large increases in the inflation rate. These were passed I think about ten days ago in the House of Commons, Mr. Speaker. Benefits include the onetime doubling of the GST rebate to low income citizens and a onetime $500 benefit for low income renters. So I would like to ask the Minister if he and his staff...

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yeah, I think the way that the motion had currently read was that it was a requirement that it be established, and it might require as much as $90,000. What this does is amend the Members' handbook, which currently reads, in section 114, and I'm just going quote this, "Members representing constituencies in Yellowknife are not entitled to a second constituency office in addition to the one provided in the Legislative Assembly building."

So with that current clause in the Members' handbook, there's a prohibition on Yellowknife MLAs having an office outside. So the purpose of...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Look, our government just can't hide in the weeds forever on this. As several Indigenous governments and the Chamber of Mines have already written to the federal minister, I've written to the federal minister with views on the regional study, and I think it's fair to say that all the parties actually support this in one way or another. So, you know, and the Minister said that our government supports participant funding; that's great. But in the letter that was submitted, it also said that no ongoing projects should be...