Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues.

The clause-by-clause review of the bill was held on August 7, 2019. Committee thanks the honourable Minister of Finance and his officials for their appearance before the committee. Committee did not move any motions to amend Bills 42 or 43.

Rule 100(5) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories requires Cabinet, in response to a motion by committee, to table a comprehensive response that addresses the committee report and any related motions adopted by the House. As required by this rule, committee usually includes a...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I know this is not really the opportunity to ask questions, but I am just curious as to why. The committee has made several observations in its report around their sound rationale and argument to raise the age from 19 to a higher age, as has been done in British Columbia. This is on page 10 of the report, and there are a number of arguments that it should be raised from 18 to around 21, or higher than the age for other substances. The committee knows that the Canadian Cancer Society argues that tobacco should be different than alcohol and cannabis, and I understand...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just as the last statutory officer report, the committee reviewed both the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 Annual Reports of the Office of the Languages Commissioner. It should be noted that the Languages Commissioner has made several recommendations in those reports that can be found on pages 9 through 14 of the standing committee's report.

Although the committee is not moving any recommendations with this, the committee believes that many of these recommendations are worth considering for, potentially, the 19th Assembly, as they will have to do a full statutory review of the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move the chair rise and report progress. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 22-18(3): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 Annual Reports of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories be received by the Assembly. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 100(4) and have Committee Report 22-18(3) moved to Committee of the Whole for further consideration today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. My understanding is, just in one case of another provincial jurisdiction doing this, in British Columbia, when a land transfer tax or fee was implemented in the 1970s, the explicit policy rationale was for income redistribution. Large home purchases would bring about revenue that could be invested in social programs and policies. I guess the contention I have here is this is a fee that is going to disproportionately affect ratepayers in one part of the territory and largely ignore the state of play in other parts of the territory.

I am not opposed to new taxes as long as they are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 21-18(3), Report on the Review of the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 Annual Reports of the Office of the Languages Commissioner for the Northwest Territories, be received by the Assembly, and Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 100(4) and have Committee Report 21-18(3) moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Was there any consideration to using these fees as a cost recovery mechanism and keeping them fixed at a rate that is commensurate to the government's costs on administering land title transfers and the other business of land titles, rather than just increasing the fees? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 20-18(3), Report on the Review of the 2017-2018 Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report, be received by the Assembly, and Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 100(4) and have Committee Report 20-18(3) moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Following through that logic, then, the majority of the revenues that are raised by this fee increase are going to be paid in majority by Yellowknife land transfers. Is that also correct? Thank you.