I guess my last question to the Premier is: Is a messenger service message that goes to every GNWT employee’s e-mail not considered public?
I would consider that as internal to the Government of the Northwest Territories. Every employee swears an oath of office and we consider it on that basis.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of the Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the Administration of the 2011 Election and commends it to the House.
The report of the Chief Electoral Officer of the Northwest Territories on the administration of the 2011 election was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on June 14, 2012. The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures is tasked with the responsibility to review the report and make recommendations to the Legislative Assembly.
The standing committee wrote all candidates, official agents and returning officers who participated in the 2011 election, inviting them to appear before the committee at a public hearing on the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) report and to provide written submissions to the committee. The committee also invited all Members of the Legislative Assembly to a meeting to discuss the CEO’s report on December 5, 2012. The committee’s public hearing with the CEO took place on January 23, 2013. At the meeting three witnesses, in addition to the CEO, made presentations to the committee. One individual also provided a written response to the committee’s letter. The committee would like to thank the CEO and all those who provided their comments on the report.
A number of concerns and issues were discussed during committee’s review process. The committee wishes to highlight the following matters.
The committee heard a number of concerns about substantial inaccuracies in the voters lists. For example, the list not only emits a number of eligible voters, but also includes may people who no longer live at the addresses where they are registered and, most unfortunately, a number of people who are deceased. These inaccuracies impact the electoral process, and also create the appearance that voter turnout is lower than it actually is because the list includes the names of so many people who are not actually eligible voters in the electoral districts where they are registered.
During the public hearing, the CEO recognized the serious problems with the voters lists and advised committee of multiple measures underway to revise it. The committee was pleased to hear that, as a result of these measures, several thousand changes have already been made. The committee accepts the CEO’s view that a general enumeration is not the most effective way to bring the list up to date, although targeted enumerations may be required for some areas. As candidates are very familiar with the eligible voters in their electoral districts, the committee suggests that the CEO consider ways to take advantage of this expertise, perhaps shortly following each election, if this can be done without creating any perception of conflict of interest or bias.
Committee members also noted that voters lists were not made available to candidates in a consistent format. In some cases the lists were provided in hard copy, and in other cases they were provided electronically. The committee recommends that the office of the CEO should make voters lists available to candidates sooner and in a standard electronic format, such as an Excel spreadsheet, which can be manipulated.
The committee heard concerns that the new voter identification requirements, which mirror the requirements for federal elections, did in some cases discourage qualified voters from voting. The requirements do seem somewhat excessive, particularly in our smaller communities where we all know each other. During the public hearing, the CEO conceded that federal requirements may be stricter than what is needed in the Northwest Territories to protect the electoral process, and offered to research the issue further and return with recommendations for improvements at the Assembly’s direction. The committee agrees with the CEO’s proposed approach.
The committee is not convinced that citizen engagement is as low as the voter turnout numbers reported in some electoral districts suggest. As stated earlier, inaccuracies in the voters list created the appearance of a much larger number of eligible voters than actually existed. Difficulties with voter registration and identification, and limitations on voting opportunities for some voters may also have discouraged some eligible voters from voting. Some of the recommendations for amendments to the act outlined later in this report will help to address these issues. However, the committee would be supportive of efforts to promote civic engagement in youth and a lifelong habit of voting through enhanced curriculum content.
The committee heard of some instances where elections officers seemed uncertain of how to carry out their responsibilities. The committee was therefore pleased to hear of the CEO’s planned initiatives to enhance training of election officers prior to the next election.
The use of social media, such as Facebook, raised some concerns during the recent campaign because it is highly influential, yet does not provide a way to respond to or correct misinformation. Social media is difficult if not impossible to regulate, not least because comments of concern are often posted by candidates’ supporters and are beyond candidates’ control. The committee recommends the CEO monitor any developments on the use of social media in election campaigns in other jurisdictions, and consider developing guidelines to assist candidates and their teams.
At this point I would like to turn it over to my colleague Mr. Abernethy, through you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank my colleague Mr. Bromley for bringing us to this point in the report.
The committee heard a number of concerns about the valuation of signs reused from previous election campaigns. The committee believes it is unfair to value reused signs at their full cost for the purposes of calculating campaign expenses. Instead, reused signs should be valuated using a consistent standard based on accounting principles that reflect depreciated value.
The committee heard that some polling stations, particularly in the city of Yellowknife, were not as clearly identified as they could have been, and that some people were unsure of where they should go to vote. While the committee is aware that this information is available on the CEO’s website and elsewhere, more prominent signage identifying the location of polling stations would be helpful.
The Legislative Assembly already places restrictions on advertising activities by Members during election years. However, there are no similar restrictions on government advertising. Government ads that feature Cabinet Members may be seen as conferring an unfair advantage. During the public hearing, the CEO advised that other jurisdictions have put in place some restrictions on government advertising during election periods. The committee recommends that the government review practices in other jurisdictions and develop appropriate guidelines for election year advertising.
The CEO’s report includes 25 recommendations for amendments to the Elections and Plebiscites Act (the Act) and other changes to improve electoral processes. These recommendations are described thoroughly in the CEO’s report. For the purposes of this report, the CEO’s recommendations are described only briefly.
Polling day is currently the first Monday of October. In his report, the CEO suggested that having polling day on a Monday presents challenges for election administration and candidates, and may impede voter turnout. The CEO recommended that polling day be changed to a Saturday, or a day later in the week than Monday, or be declared a holiday.
In the absence of data supporting the argument that voter turnout is lower on Mondays, the standing committee is not prepared to support this recommendation at this time. However, the committee is agreeable to the CEO undertaking further research on this topic and providing the results to the committee at a later date.
Under existing legislation, the preliminary list of electors is only available to voters at the office of the returning officer. Municipal voters lists are made available in more places, which makes it easier for electors to check whether they are registered and to provide any necessary corrections before the final voters list. The CEO recommends that the Act be amended to enable the CEO, during an election campaign, to communicate the contents of the list of electors to the public using the best available means. The standing committee agrees.
The CEO recommends the Act be amended to enable returning officers to strike names from the preliminary list of electors in cases where the returning officer is certain a person is no longer resident in the electoral district. The Act would also be amended to require the returning officer to post the names of persons struck from the list and to update it daily during the revision period. The standing committee agrees.
The CEO recommends repealing Section 104 of the Act, which prohibits broadcasting to promote or oppose a candidate’s election on election day and the day before. The standing committee disagrees. The committee does, however, appreciate the difficulties of interpreting the term “broadcasting.” The committee therefore recommends that the CEO undertake further research on possible definitions for “broadcasting” that would make the term clearer, and provide the results of that research to the committee.
The CEO recommends amending the Act to change the period for mail-in ballots by enabling an elector to apply to the CEO to vote by special ballot up to two weeks before the issue of the writ for an electoral district continuing until the 10th day before polling day, and to change the Act so that the CEO does not provide special ballots until after the close of the nomination period. The standing committee agrees.
The CEO recommends repealing the Act’s provisions for advance polls, and that the CEO be directed to return to the Assembly with detailed recommendations to establish a new special voting opportunity for communities without a resident returning officer, similar to voting in the office of the returning officer. The standing committee agrees with directing the CEO to return with detailed recommendations for a new special voting opportunity for communities with fewer than 500 residents, but disagrees with eliminating advance polls in communities with 500 residents or more, as they seem to be working there.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to pass on the continued reading of the report to my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The CEO recommends that the standing committee propose a set of principles to be reflected in the campaign finance provisions of the Act and direct the CEO to return to the Assembly with detailed recommendations to amend Part 9 of the Act. The committee agrees with this recommendation, however, recommends that the CEO undertake further research on other jurisdictions’ approaches to campaign finance and provide the results of that research to the committee in order to assist the committee in developing a set of proposed principles.
The CEO recommends that the Act be amended to make threatening a candidate and impersonating an election officer an offence. The standing committee agrees.
The CEO recommends that the Legislative Assembly support in principle that the CEO will recommend to the Commissioner a restructured Tariff of Fees Regulations to reflect the rebalancing of duties between election officers and to remunerate election officers for the completion of specific assignments. The standing committee agrees in principle that the regulations should be amended, but recommends that the CEO provide the draft regulations to the committee for comment before recommending them to the Commissioner.
In order to facilitate voter registration of incarcerated persons, the CEO recommends that the Act be amended to require the deputy minister of Justice, at the request of the CEO, to provide the names and addresses of inmates who are residents of the Northwest Territories on a date specified and who have or who will have attained the age of 18 years on a date specified. The standing committee agrees.
The CEO recommends defining the term “sponsor” in the Act and proposes to work with legislative drafters to define the term “sponsor” as being: the person or organization that pays for, provides, or incurs the costs of the campaign material bearing the identification. The standing committee agrees, and further recommends that the CEO be directed to develop a consistent phrase to be used to identify sponsors on campaign material and include that in guidelines for candidates.
Currently, only returning officers can conduct mobile polls, which limits capacity to deliver this service. The CEO recommends amending the Act to allow all elections officers to conduct mobile polls. The standing committee agrees.
The CEO recommends that the Act be amended so that a person vouching for an elector without sufficient identification need only reside in the same electoral district, rather than in the same polling division. The standing committee agrees.
The CEO recommends that the Act be amended to add candidate nomination papers to the list of public records that may be inspected during office hours at the OCEO. The CEO also proposes to convey through guides and other publications that nomination papers are public records and that, during the campaign period, nomination papers may be inspected in the office of the returning officer; further, during the nomination period, the CEO proposes to convey to the public an unofficial list of who has been nominated and how many people have been nominated across the territory. The standing committee agrees.
The CEO recommends amending the Act to grant the CEO the same enforcement powers as a board of inquiry under the Public Inquiries Act. While the standing committee agrees that the CEO may need broader enforcement powers than currently exist in the Act, Members are concerned that the proposed amendment may make those powers too sweeping. The committee instead recommends that the CEO return to the committee with recommendations for additional specific enforcement powers and substantiation of the need for those powers.
The CEO recommends that the Public Service Act be amended so that the authority to grant leave to an employee who wishes to seek nomination to be a candidate resides with the deputy minister accountable for the administration of that Act rather than with the Minister. The Standing Committee agrees.
On pages 42 to 45 of this report, the CEO proposes nine housekeeping amendments to the Act. The Standing Committee agrees with all of the proposed amendments, with the exception of recommendation 21 on the 25 metre voting rule.
The CEO recommends that the 25 metre restriction on campaigning outside of advance polling stations and election day polling stations be extended to all voting opportunities.
While the committee understands the concern about the potential for campaigning activities near other voting opportunities, Members are concerned that the proposed amendment would be difficult to enforce and would result in many inadvertent breaches of the Act. For example, a person with a candidate sign in the window of their vehicle could be committing an offence if they parked on the street outside the office of the returning officer. These offices are frequently in community buildings that house many other agencies and businesses. To expect anyone with a campaign sign on their vehicle to avoid parking in front of such buildings for an entire election period seems unduly onerous. The committee therefore disagrees with the CEO’s recommendation.
I’d now like to turn the floor over to Mr. Hawkins for the continuation of the reading of the report.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. I am reading the recommendations.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer make voter lists available to candidates in a more timely manner, and in a standard electronic format which can be manipulated.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer undertake research on voter identification requirements, and report back to the committee with options for amending the current requirements to make them more appropriate for NWT communities.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer monitor developments on the use of social media during election campaigns in other jurisdictions, and consider developing guidelines to assist candidates and their teams before the next general election.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer develop a standard, based on accounting principles that reflects depreciated value for calculating the value of campaign expenses for signs that are reused from previous elections.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer ensure that for the next general election there is improved signage to clearly identifying the location of polling stations.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the government review practices in other jurisdictions concerning government advertising during election campaigns, and develop appropriate guidelines for election year advertising by the end of 2014.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer undertake research on the relationship between voter turnout and the day of the week on which elections take place, and report back to the committee with the results of that research.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to enable the Chief Electoral Officer to communicate, during an election of a campaign, the contents of the list of electors to the public using the best available means.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to enable returning officers to strike names from the preliminary list of electors in cases where the returning officer is certain a person is no longer resident in the electoral district; and to require the returning officer to post the names of persons struck from the list and to update it daily during the revision period.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer identify options for a clear definition for the term “broadcasting” and report back to the committee.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to change the period for mail-in ballots by enabling an elector to apply to the CEO to vote by special ballot up to two weeks before the issue of the writ for an electoral district continuing until the 10th day before polling day; and to provide that the CEO does not provide special ballots until after the close of the nomination periods.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer develop detailed recommendations to replace the provisions for advance polls in communities without returning officers and fewer than 500 residents, with a special voting opportunity, and report back to the committee.
Mr. Speaker, at this point, I would like to now turn the continuation of the report over to my colleague Mr. Menicoche. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer provide the committee with a review of approaches to campaign finance in other jurisdictions, and that the committee develop a set of proposed principles to guide the development of new campaign finance provisions and report those back to this Assembly.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to make threatening a candidate and impersonating an elections officer offences.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer proceed to develop restructured Tariff of Fees Regulations and provide the draft regulations to the committee for comment before recommending them to the Commissioner.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to require the deputy minister of Justice, at the request of the Chief Electoral Officer, to provide the names and addresses of inmates who are residents of the Northwest Territories on a date specified and who have or who will have attained the age of 18 on a date specified.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to define the term “sponsor” as a person or organization that pays for or provides or incurs the cost of the campaign material bearing identification.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer develop a standard phrase to be used to identify sponsors on campaign material, and include that information in guidelines for candidates.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to allow election officers to conduct mobile polls.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended so that a person vouching for an elector without sufficient identification need only reside in the same electoral district, rather than in the same polling division.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to add candidate nomination papers to the list of public records that may be inspected during office hours at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Chief Electoral Officer provide the committee with recommendations for additional specific enforcement powers for the Chief Electoral Officer, and substantiation for each of those powers.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Public Service Act be amended so that authority to grant leave to an employee who wishes to seek nomination to be a candidate resides with the deputy minister accountable for administration of that act, rather than with the Minister.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the “housekeeping” amendments, which are identified by the Chief Electoral Officer on pages 42 to 45 of the report of the Chief Electoral Officer, with the exception of his recommendation 21, be considered by the legislative drafter during the preparation of the other amendments.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will now turn the conclusion over to Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, committee.
By way of conclusion, the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures will return with additional recommendations after its review of additional research and recommendations from the Chief Electoral Officer on the following topics:
voter identification requirements;
polling day;
the definition of “broadcasting”;
options for new special voting opportunities for communities with no resident returning officer and with populations of fewer than 500;
campaign financing provisions; and
additional enforcement powers.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 93(4) and move Committee Report 2-17(4) into Committee of the Whole for today. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled List of Interactivity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 for the Period April 1, 2012, to December 31, 2012. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the Proposal to Emergency Preparedness Plan: A Community Plan for the People of Tulita.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 1, Tlicho Statutes Amendment Act; Bill 2, An Act to Amend the Territorial Parks Act; Committee Report 1-17(4), Report on the Review of the 2011-2012 Human Rights Commission Annual Report; Committee Report 2-17(4), Report on the Review of the Chief Electoral Officer on the Administration of the 2011 Election, with Mrs. Groenewegen in the chair.
Thank you. I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. What’s the wish of the committee today? Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. The committee wishes to consider Bill 1, Bill 2, Committee Report 1-17(4) and Committee Report 2-17(4). Thank you.
Thank you. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you. We’ll proceed with that after a brief break.
---SHORT RECESS
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. The first item that we’re going to deal with today is Bill 1, Tlicho Statutes Amendment Act. I’d like to go to Minister Robert C. McLeod for opening comments. Minister McLeod.
I am pleased to introduce Bill 1, Tlicho Statutes Amendment Act.
In 2005, when the Tlicho Agreement came into effect, the community governments of Behchoko, Gameti, Whati and Wekweeti became Tlicho community governments with municipal authorities pursuant to the Tlicho Community Government Act.
Since 2005, the four Tlicho community governments have identified a number of needs that the Tlicho Community Government Act does not address and have expressed a desire to amend the act to reflect these needs, most of which relate to Tlicho community government elections. For example:
Currently, a defeated council member holds on to their seat for six weeks after their defeat. One of the proposed amendments is to change the beginning and end dates of terms, so the new term can begin as early as the day after the election.
Originally it was thought that the amount of debt a person could have and still hold a seat on council would need to be $5,000 due to the potential high cost of property leases. Experience has shown us that most leases are less than $600 and so $2,000 is a manageable amount of debt.
Controversy between the four Tlicho community governments regarding whether a council member would be ineligible if they owed property tax arrears has resulted in making this criteria a local option. Councils would be empowered to pass bylaws to make the lack of property tax arrears part of the criteria for being on council.
The current act only allows for a vacancy on council to be filled by a by-election. There have been occasions where no candidates have come forward and proposed amendment that would provide communities where this happens an alternative way to fill vacant seats when this occurs. This alternative would allow councils to appoint eligible persons in a way that mirrors what other municipalities can do.
In addition, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made amendments to other NWT municipal legislation to reflect the changing needs and realities in the Northwest Territories, but has not made similar amendments to the Tlicho Community Government Act. For example:
Clarifying the requirements for voter petitions for or against a bylaw.
Allow debts to the municipality to become property tax arrears. In tax-based situations municipalities can take bad debts due to the provision of municipal services and other charges and apply those debts to their tax account. This allows municipalities more significant ability to collect bad debts.
It also clarifies the amount of grants that can be provided from municipal funds, just like in other municipalities.
For the past three years, the Government of the Northwest Territories worked closely with the Tlicho community governments and the Tlicho Government to ensure the amendments proposed in the act meet Tlicho needs. Our work together also allowed us to fulfill our obligation under the Tlicho Agreement to consult the Tlicho Government and receive their consent to any changes to this act.
As this is a unique act, it required a unique process. This unique process was developed by the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Tlicho Government to ensure that there was significant consultation with the public. A key feature of this process was the creation of a working group consisting of representatives from the Tlicho community governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories. These working group meetings, both formal and informal, developed a preliminary set of amendments. This evolved into broader consultations with larger groups of community representatives and directly with community councils.
Community residents and councils reviewed these suggested amendments at regional workshops and in meetings between Municipal and Community Affairs and individual councils. A final set of recommended amendments was then advanced to the Tlicho Government for approval and consent.
I am proud of the positive, hard work of all involved in this process. The Chief’s Council of the Tlicho Government has reviewed and consented to this bill and I am confident that it will meet the needs of the people it will directly affect. This type of collaborative approach to working with community governments in the Northwest Territories is helping create a strong and independent North built on partnerships as envisioned by this Assembly.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at Municipal and Community Affairs. I would also like to acknowledge and recognize, we have four of them in the gallery with us today, Mr. Tom Williams, deputy minister of MACA, Eleanor Young is the assistant deputy minister of MACA, Amy Simpson is the manager of policy and planning at MACA, and Yvonne Doolittle, regional superintendent for the North Slave region. We thank them for the work that they put into the working group.
I’d also like thank the Tlicho Government for the concerted effort put forward while working on this bill. I would also like to thank the staff at the Department of Justice who worked extremely hard to ensure the bill was drafted in a timely manner.
I would be pleased to answer any questions that Members may have. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. I would like to ask Minister McLeod, would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber?
I would, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you. I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
Minister McLeod, for the record, could you please introduce your witnesses.
Thank you, Madam Chair. To my right I have Kelly McLaughlin, who is the director for legislation, Department of Justice. To my left I have Mr. David Kravitz, the manager of community governance, Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. General comments on the bill? Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will be speaking for myself and not necessarily for committee, although I chaired the committee that oversaw this. I want to use the occasion to thank the work from the committee members who got behind and supported this particular bill. They certainly deserve the credit on taking the position we did, which was this was something we could get behind. This brings our rules and regulations much in line with what the territorial government is doing in the sense of our act that controls and delegates and directs community governments across the Northwest Territories to have their elections. I certainly supported the bill in committee and I will continue to support at the Committee of the Whole level as well. Once again, I wish to offer the praise of committee members for their hard work in getting this done.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Any further general comments? Minister McLeod.
Thank you, Madam Chair. An oversight on my part, and a very important one. We should thank the members of the committee and the Members for their support of this and we look forward to discussing it in detail.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. General comments? Mr. Yakeleya.
Just a few comments, Madam Chair. Congratulations to the Minister and the team, and to the Tlicho. It’s quite something when you work it out on a government-to-government relationship, especially with the Tlicho people on a new path to governments in the Northwest Territories. Now, seeing this, would this also be similar to Deline, once they finish their community self-government. Would this type of process also be undertaken?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister McLeod.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We don’t exactly know what the process is going to be yet in Deline. Obviously, what we had to go through with this one, I think will be valuable, good information for those going forward. We’re not quite sure at this point.
We look forward to it once that day arrives, and the Minister and his staff will be prepared to start dealing with the Deline self-government. I know they’re close to organizing themselves to have the final vote, and then we’ll see what we can do within the Legislative Assembly.
I guess, just to say that it’s quite exciting to talk at this level, talking about the Tlicho Government. They’ve come a long way and I just want to say that I never thought that in my day and age that we would come to this type of realization where we’re talking government to government. I look forward to the Minister’s responses on other self-government initiatives in the Northwest Territories. We’re breaking new ground and this is good. I just wanted to say that to the Minister and his staff for their hard work. It’s something new and so anything that’s something new requires little aches and pains, a little pushing, and we come to, as was said in the Minister’s opening comments, is that it took a lot of people to get where we’re at today.
More of a comment and a pat on the back to all the people in the Tlicho and MACA staff. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. I’ll take that as a comment. General comments. If there are no further general comments, we’ll go into clause-by-clause review of the bill. If you can stand down the actual clauses, please, and go to the schedules, page 4, Schedule A, Amendments to the Tlicho Community Government Act. Agreed?
Agreed.
