Can I get the Minister responsible for the bill, the Minister of Justice, to please introduce Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010.
Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. The purpose of Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010, is to amend various statutes of the Northwest Territories for which minor changes are proposed or errors or inconsistencies have been identified.
Each amendment included in the bill had to meet the following criteria:
it must not be controversial;
it must not involve the spending of public funds;
it must not prejudicially affect rights;
it must not create a new offence or subject a new class of persons to an existing offence.
Departments responsible for the various statutes being amended have reviewed and approved the changes.
Most amendments proposed in Bill 3 are minor in nature and many consist of technical corrections to a statute. Other changes have the effect of repealing certain enactments or statutory provisions that have expired or have otherwise ceased to have effect. The amendments are of such a nature that the preparation and legislative consideration of individual bills to correct each statute would be time consuming for the Government and the Legislative Assembly.
This bill is structured differently than the miscellaneous statute law amendments bills Members have reviewed in previous years, in that it is divided into two schedules.
Schedule A resembles a “conventional” miscellaneous statute law amendment bill, making a variety of minor amendments to the statutes. Schedule B is a new device, listing transitional provisions that are obsolete or expired, and providing for their repeal. This schedule will likely only make an appearance in a bill this once, as it results from a comprehensive review of all acts that have come into force since the December 31, 1988, cut-off date of the last statute revision.
I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Social Programs for its review of this bill. I will be pleased to answer the committee’s questions on Bill 3. Mahsi.
Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Mr. Beaulieu is the chairman of the Standing Committee on Social Programs that reviewed the bill. Do you have any comments on the bill?
Yes, Mr. Chairman. Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010. The Standing Committee on Social Programs conducted a public review of Bill 3 on March 24, 2010, in Yellowknife. Committee members thank the Minister and his staff for presenting the bill.
The bill amends 39 NWT laws to correct inconsistencies and errors. It also formally repeals provisions which are no longer in effect in 31 additional laws. The amendments only respond to matters of minor non-controversial and non-complicated nature of these laws. Following the committee’s review, a motion was carried to report Bill 3 to the Legislative Assembly as ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
This concludes committee’s opening comments on Bill 3. Individual Members may have additional questions and comments after we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Lafferty, do you have any witnesses you would like to bring into the Chamber?
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Does committee agree that we allow the Minister to bring in his witnesses into the Chamber?
Agreed.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, could you please escort the Minister’s witnesses into the Chamber.
Minister Lafferty, if I could please get you to introduce your witnesses for the record.
Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I have Mark Aiken to my left, director of legislation, and Bronwyn Watters, deputy minister of Justice. Mahsi.
Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Welcome to the witnesses. Do any Members have any general comments on Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statue Law Amendment Act, 2010? Detail. Does committee agree that there are no further general comments and that we proceed with clause by clause of the bill?
Agreed.
Before we proceed with the clause by clause, we need to defer that and go to Schedule A. Are there any questions? Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Are there any questions on Schedule A? Does committee agree that we have completed Schedule A?
Agreed.
We need to proceed, then, to page 27, Schedule B. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Are there any general comments or questions on Schedule B? No questions. Good. Does committee agree that we have completed review of Schedule B?
Agreed.
Let’s return to the clause by clause on page 1. Clause 1.
---Clauses 1 and 2 approved
Does committee agree that we now reviewed the bill clause by clause?
Agreed.
To the bill as a whole.
Agreed.
Does committee agree that Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010, is ready for third reading?
Agreed.
---Bill 3 as a whole approved for third reading
Thank you, Minister Lafferty. I would like to thank the witnesses. If I could please get the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the witnesses out of the Chamber. I feel the trees on my feet.
What is the wish of committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that we report progress.
---Carried
Can I have the report of Committee of the Whole, please, Mr. Abernethy?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Veterinary Profession Act; Bill 2, An Act to Amend the Dental Auxiliaries Act; Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010, and would like to report that Bills 1, 2 and 3 are ready for third reading. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. A motion is on the floor. Do we have a seconder for that? Mr. Bromley.
---Carried
Orders of the day for Monday, May 17, 2010, at 1:30 p.m.:
Prayer
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to Opening Address
Petitions
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
Motions
First Reading of Bills
Bill 8, Social Work Profession Act
Second Reading of Bills
Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Elections and Plebiscites Act
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Tabled Document 4-16(5), Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project
Tabled Document 30-16(5), 2010 Review of Members’ Compensation and Benefits
Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits - What We Heard
Tabled Document 42-16(5), Supplementary Estimates No. 1, 2010-2011 (Operations Expenditures)
Tabled Document 43-16(5), Supplementary Estimates No. 3, 2010-2011 (Infrastructure Expenditures)
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Veterinary Profession Act
Bill 2, An Act to Amend the Dental Auxiliaries Act
Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Monday, May 17, 2010, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 12:58 p.m.
