Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, October 22, 2012, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that the following guidelines be set out for the NWT Electoral Boundaries Commission, 2012:
The commission shall review the existing electoral districts using the most recent and accurate census and other population data available;
In keeping with Canadian constitutional conventions and the notion of effective representation, the commission shall make recommendations to achieve relative parity between electoral districts while balancing community of interest considerations;
For greater certainty, relative parody means that the percentage variation between the number of persons in a riding and the average mean should be within plus or minus 25 percent, except where special circumstances warrant exceptional deviation;
The commission shall recommend how electoral boundaries should be drawn if the Legislative Assembly comprises (a) 18 members, or (b) 19 members, or (c) 21 members;
The commission shall prepare an interim report with proposed electoral district boundaries for review by the public and discussion at public hearings;
The commission shall establish a website or other publicly accessible mechanism(s), in addition to public hearings, to receive submissions on the existing and/or proposed boundaries;
All submissions to the commission shall be considered public documents;
Simultaneous translation of official languages shall be available at public hearings where the use of an official language in a particular community or region is sizable enough to warrant the employ of translation services;
If the commission is not in a position to accomplish its mandate within the existing budget allocated, it may return to the Legislative Assembly for additional funds;
The final report of the commission, complete with recommendations, shall be submitted in English and in French to the Speaker and the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly no later than seven months after the Commission is struck; and
The Chief Electoral Officer shall serve as secretary to the commission.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. 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 Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 64-17(3), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2013-2014, with Mrs. Groenewegen in the chair.
