Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the document entitled "Northwest Territories Housing Corporation Annual Report 2018-2019." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents. "Aurora College Corporate Plan 2019-2020"; "Aurora College Annual report 2018-2019"; and "2018-2019 Annual Report on Official Languages." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Member for Thebacha.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents. A "Letter to Murray Scott and Garry Schwartzenberger dated October 29, 2019"; and an "Email from the Minister of Lands dated December 9, 2019." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Tabling of documents. I, too, have two documents. Pursuant to section 21(1) of the Legislative Assembly Retiring Allowances Act and section 11.1 of the Supplementary Retiring Allowances Act, I wish to table the "NWT Legislative Assembly Pension Plans Annual Report, at March 31, 2018." Pursuant to section 5 of the Indemnities, Allowances and Expense Regulations of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I wish to table the summary of "Members' absences for the period October 25 to December 9, 2019."
My apologies, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh that Bill 2, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2019-2020, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The motion is in order. The motion is non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Bill 2 has had its first reading.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 2, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2019-2020, be read for the second time. This bill makes supplementary appropriations for operations expenditures of the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2019-2020 fiscal year and sets out limits on supplementary amounts that may be borrowed by the Commissioner on behalf of the government and authorizes the making of disbursements to pay the principle of supplementary amounts borrowed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Bill 2 has had its second reading.
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 third time. Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you.
The Member has requested a recorded vote. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
The Member for Kam Lake, the Member for Deh Cho, the Member for Yellowknife North, the Member for Monfwi, the Member for Nahendeh, the Member for Yellowknife South, the Member for Sahtu, the Member for Range Lake, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, the Member for Great Slave, the Member for Hay River North, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, the Member for Yellowknife Centre, the Member for Hay River South, the Member for Thebacha, the Member for Nunakput, the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
All those opposed, please rise. All those abstaining, please rise.
The results of the recorded vote: 17 in favour, zero opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Bill 1 has had its third reading. Third reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh that Bill 2, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2019-2020, be read for the third time. Mr. Speaker, I would request for a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. The Minister has requested a recorded vote. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
The Member for Yellowknife South, the Member for Sahtu, the Member for Range Lake, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, the Member for Great Slave, the Member for Hay River North, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, the Member for Yellowknife Centre, the Member for Hay River South, the Member for Thebacha, the Member for Nunakput, the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, the Member for Kam Lake, the Member for Deh Cho, the Member for Yellowknife North, the Member for Monfwi, the Member for Nahendeh.
All those opposed, please rise. All those abstaining, please rise. The results of the recorded vote are: 17 in favour, zero opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Bill 2 has had its third reading. Third reading of bills.
Colleagues, with us today we have our Grand Chief and President of the Gwich'in Tribal Council, Ms. Bobbie Jo Greenland-Morgan. Welcome.
Colleagues, today we will conclude the First Session of the 19th Legislative Assembly. The Second Session is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Since election, we have spent many hours working together as a Caucus, as committees, as Cabinet, and in this House. For many of us, it has been a new experience, and we have learned a lot. I know I have and I know we all have a lot to learn as we prepare for the next session.
I would like to thank each of you for the positive and respectful tone of the proceedings during this short session. As legislators, we directly influence the well-being of all residents of the territory. We will not always see eye-to-eye, but, when we work together in a respectful and collaborative manner, we have the ability to positively affect our people and our shared future.
As this House will not sit again until the new year, I would like to take this time to wish all of you and your families a very merry Christmas and best wishes for the coming year. I hope that each of you will have the time and opportunity to celebrate with your constituents, family, friends, and loved ones during this holiday season.
Colleagues, I would like to thank the Pages who have been with us in the Chamber during this sitting, the interpreters who have been with us each day, and everyone else who has contributed to our shared success. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed, and we appreciate your dedication and professionalism.
Finally, I would like to invite you to join me in the Great Hall at the rise of the House for a small reception and a performance by the Aklavik drummers in celebration of the prorogation of the first session of the 19th Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Clerk, will you ascertain if the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, the honourable Margaret Thom, is prepared to enter the Chamber and prorogue the first session of the 19th Legislative Assembly? Thank you.
Please be seated. Mr. Speaker, Members of the Legislative Assembly, good afternoon. [English translation not available.] Mahsi. Thank you. It is always a great pleasure to be in this great hall, this great Chamber, and to be in the presence of such an amazing team who works diligently for the betterment and for the quality of life for all Northerners.
It gives me great honour to announce that a new deputy commissioner has been officially appointed by the federal government. Our new deputy commissioner is Mr. Leonard Kenny from Deline in the Sahtu region. Mr. Kenny will be officially sworn in on Tuesday, December 17th. We applaud this appointment and send congratulations to Mr. Kenny and his family.
I believe that we are the first government in Canada to have such a large proportion of women elected to a Legislative Assembly: nine women of 19 Members. You have also chosen a woman to serve as our Premier for just the second time in the history of the Northwest Territories, the only female Premier in Canada. Congratulations, Premier Cochrane.
It is extra special during this festive busy season that we take the time to stop and feel grateful and to give thanks. I say with a grateful heart, mahsi cho to each and every one of you, along with your staff and the Legislative Assembly staff, for your hard work for all of the Northwest Territories residents since the October election.
