Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Northwest Territories, the RCMP enforces impaired driving laws. My questions today are for the Minister of Justice. I understand that the RCMP uses a combination of practical technologies, like mouth swabs, and subjective analysis, like driver inspection by an officer trained as a drug-recognition expert, to assess a driver's level of intoxication and that concerns have been raised about the accuracy of these tests. Can the Minister describe for the House what the experience has been for drivers in the NWT with respect to the detection of drug-impaired drivers...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Michele Thoms, vice-principal of Ecole St. Patrick High School, teacher advisor to Students Against Destructive Driving, formerly Students Against Drinking and Driving, and the person who started our NWT chapter of SADD 25 years ago. With Ms. Thoms today are a number of her SADD students, including Kam Lake residents and youth activists Victoria Hamm and Jaslynn Menton. I would also like to recognize in the gallery today Kam Lake residents Sara Minogue and Sarah Kalnay-Watson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to recognize the fact that the Minister of Finance has certainly inherited the challenge we find ourselves in currently and has not created it. That being said, it is still frustrating to start our Assembly off like this, but, at the end of the day, my concerns would be for the people of my riding and of the NWT. What I would like to be able to ask is: can the Minister clarify the ramifications if the supplementary borrowing is not approved? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am also wondering if the Minister of Finance can go into detail about what, if any, reduction efforts the Department of Finance is planning to undertake, specifically in relation to positions within the GNWT and GNWT salaries. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am thankful to the Member for Yellowknife Centre for starting off my question. We have seen continuous growth over the last few Assemblies of the short-term borrowing. I am just wondering if the Department of Finance intends to maintain the $525-million short-term borrowing limit for the 2020-2021 fiscal year or if they would eventually like to reset that to the $390-million limit that we had before. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. To my right is Tim Mercer, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and to my left is Christina Brownlee, Legislative Assembly Counsel for the Department of Justice. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act lays out the indemnities and allowances available to Members of the Legislative Assembly. Schedule C of the act sets out the actually monetary value of these indemnities and allowances.

During the 18th Legislative Assembly, the Independent Commission to Review Members' Compensation and Benefits and the Special Committee to Increase Representation of Women in the Legislative Assembly put forward recommendations. As a result of these recommendations, amendments to the act and the regulations are required through Bill 1.

Th...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake that Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act to extend certain benefits to Members and have the ability to regulate childcare expenses.

I understand that the financial administration policy on the timing of payments to vendors provides for certain exceptions that allow for immediate payment upon receipt of invoices from language translators or interpreters, justices of the peace, coroners, and sheriff's bailiff services. Would the Minister be willing to consider expanding these exemptions for small northern businesses?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance for the rationale for the delay of three to four weeks in making payments to GNWT vendors, as set out in the Financial Administration Manual. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.