Rylund Johnson

I am well-aware that there are three parties at the table, and to not update our core principles and objectives because there are federal government issues seems to miss the point, and that is the federal government's whole purpose being at the table. My question is for the honourable Premier. Are we willing to reopen our core principles and objectives and negotiate them with Indigenous governments, considering our commitment to implement UNDRIP?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Previously in this Assembly, I tabled a letter from the chief of Colville Lake, once again asking the GNWT to leave the negotiating table so that Canada and that nation can reach a bilateral self-government agreement. My question is to the honourable Premier. Have our negotiators been provided updated mandates at the negotiating table?

Thank you, Madam Chair. My concern is that we're seeing here a scoping of the environmental assessment that does not factor in the potential of the Grays Bay half. We know that the Bathurst caribou calving ground is in Nunavut, and caribou do not respect borders, so my concern here is that we are not setting ourselves up for, essentially, the resource boards to say that we have scoped the project wrong. Also, those mineral deposits, and there is no doubt there are minerals there, are largely dependent on the port access, so I question the scoping of this project to not include the entirety of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the change to our House sitting where we will have next week for Members to return to their constituencies, I give notice that on Thursday, February 13, 2020, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Thursday, February 13, 2020, it shall be adjourned until Tuesday, February 25, 2020; and further, that any time prior to February 25, 2020, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly...

We have consistently heard from a number of Indigenous governments that the unilateral imposition of our government's core principles and objectives in regard to self-government negotiations has become a barrier. My question is for the honourable Premier. Have we updated our core principles and objectives in regard to self-government?

One of the issues with fines is that, in a residential tenancies dispute between a landlord and a tenant, the fine then goes to the GNWT, which doesn't necessarily resolve the issue. Under more recent legislation in the Northwest Territories, we have provided territorial judges with a suite of remedial powers, such as orders that would allow some of that money to then go to the tenant in the dispute. Is it best practice to provide our territorial judges with remedial powers under the Residential Tenancies Act?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Justice. Has the GNWT ever laid a charge under its Residential Tenancies Act?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The North loves its monopolies, whether it be Northmart, Northwestel, Northland Utilities, or today's topic of my statement, Northview Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust.

Mr. Speaker, our residential tenancy system, by design, is a neutral arbitrator of individual disputes and, as such, is not empowered to address larger systemic issues and abuses by landlords. We have seen this recently in Northview's illegal collecting of pet deposits, yet this is not a one-off issue, Mr. Speaker. There is no shortage of human rights or residential tenancies' complaints that point...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe we have found ourselves in a situation where, in only ever laying one charge, even if it is aligned with other jurisdictions, the North does not have any tools to address such systemic abuses. My question is on a larger scale. Does the Department of Justice regularly review the various offences and penalties sections across NWT legislation to assure they are consistent with what other jurisdictions are doing and best practices? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That one charge, I believe, points to the larger systemic issue that it is not worth pursuing a prosecution under our Residential Tenancies Act, as presently the maximum fine available to a corporation is $25,000. I talked about Northview earlier today; $25,000 is not even a rounding error on a multi-million-dollar corporation. My question for the Minister of Justice is: is the $25,000 fine for corporations under our Residential Tenancies Act consistent with best practices?