Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, June 3rd, 2021, I will move the following motion:
Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that the following guidelines are set down for the Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries Commission, 2021:
1. The commission shall review the existing electoral districts using the most recent and accurate census and other population data available.
2. In keeping with Canadian constitutional conventions, relative parity between electoral districts shall be sought, to the extent possible, except where special circumstances warrant exceptional deviation.
3. For greater certainty, relative parity 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.
In addition to whatever recommendations the commission may propose, the commission shall recommend how the Electoral Boundaries commission should be drawn if the Legislative Assembly were to be comprised of a minimum of 19 members.
5. The commission shall prepare an interim report with proposed electoral district boundaries for review by the public and discussion at public hearings.
6. The commission shall establish a website or other publically accessible mechanisms, in addition to public hearings, to receive submissions on the existing and/or proposed boundaries.
7. All submissions to the commission shall be considered public documents.
8. 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.
9. If the commission is not in a position to establish its mandate within the existing budget allocated, it may return to the Legislative Assembly for additional funds.
10. The final report of the commission, complete with recommendations, shall be submitted in English and French to the Speaker and Clerk of the Legislative Assembly no later than twelve months after the Commission is struck.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
