To the motion.
Question.
The Member for Frame Lake. The Member for Great Slave. The Member for Deh Cho.
All those opposed, please stand.
The Member for Yellowknife North. The Member for Nahendeh. The Member for Yellowknife South. The Member for Yellowknife Centre. The Member for Hay River North. The Member for Hay River South. The Member for Thebacha. The Member for Kam Lake.
All those abstaining, please stand.
The Member for Tu Nedhe Wiilideh. The Member for Sahtu. The Member for Range Lake. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
The results of the recorded vote are three in favour, eight opposed, four abstentions. The motion is defeated.
Clause 3, does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, to the bill as a whole, does committee agree that Bill 73, An Act to Amend the Legislative and Executive Council Act, No. 4, is now ready for third reading.
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Does committee agree that this concludes our consideration of Bill 73, An Act to Amend the Legislative and Executive Council Act, No. 4?
Agreed.
Thank you, Member, and thank you to your witnesses. Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses from the chamber.
Committee, we have agreed to consider Bill 76, An Act to Amend the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act. I will ask the sponsor of the bill, the Member for Thebacha to introduce the bill.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am pleased to appear today on Bill 76, An Act to Amend the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act.
The amendments proposed in this Act are in response to Motion 7019(2). Members passed that motion on November 3rd, 2023.
Madam Chair, this bill amends the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act to establish a commission within two years of the 2023 general election. Normally a commission would not be required until after the 2027 general election. However after this House rejected the recommendations from the most recent commission, it was decided to require a commission after the 2023 general election.
The Act requires a commission to be set up every second Assembly. If passed, commissions will now be created after the 2023 and 2031 general elections.
Madam Chair, the legislation already required a commission to be created within the first two years of an Assembly. The Act was left this way as part of the transition report and we recommended to the next Assembly to create the commission earlier within the first 18 months.
Bill 76 also expands the size of the commission. The commission has been three people a current or retired judge and two public members. Members were concerned this did not provide enough room for a broader range of views on the commission.
If passed, Bill 76 expands the members from three to five people.
Bill 76 also changes who can serve as chairperson of the commission. The Act currently provides that a current or retired judge of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories chair the commission. Given limited judicial resources, this can be a challenge. Bill 76 allows for a current or sitting judge but also allows for an appointment of a person who is qualified to serve as a judge. This means a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience will be eligible to serve as chair. This ensures that the commission has legal knowledge at their disposal. This is important as the commission's recommendations could ultimately affect someone's constitutionallyprotected voting rights.
Finally, in recognition of concerns raised by members in the public about riding names, Bill 76 has geographic and place names as to what the commission needs to consider when electoral boundaries and names of ridings.
Finally, the bill makes minor amendments to modernize language used in the Act. This includes moving to genderneutral language. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member, would you like to bring witnesses into the chamber?
Thank you.
Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses into the chambers.
Member, would you please introduce your witnesses.
Thank you, Madam Chair. On my left is Glen Rutland, our deputy clerk. And on my right is Christine Duffy, legislative counsel.
Welcome. I will now open the floor to general comments on Bill 76. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, one of the reasons that I decided to pause my want to change the name of the riding of Great Slave was the idea or the understanding that this would be included in this next go around with the Electoral Boundaries Commission and, you know, it was definitely something that they had touched upon in the last go but not really given the importance that it was needed and really the consideration. So I am really pleased to see I don't know what section it is, six there, clause 6, that we will be looking to have that scope included with this work. I think it is super important for us to stop to decolonize places around the Northwest Territories and that includes ourselves here in the Assembly. If I should be back to represent this riding in the 20th, I would be happy to have it have a different name. And as always, I am grateful to see changes where we are no longer sticking to the binary language and moving to more inclusive. So thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Are there any other further general comments on Bill 76? Does committee agree that are no further general comments?
Agreed.
Can we proceed to a clause by clause review of the bill?
Agreed.
Committee, we will defer the bill number and title until after consideration of the clauses. Please turn to page 1 of the bill.
Clause 1, does committee agree?
Agreed.
Clause 2, does committee agree?
Agreed.
Clause 3, does committee agree?
Agreed.
Clause 4, does committee agree?
Agreed.
Clause 5, does committee agree?
Agreed.
And clause 6, does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, to the bill as a whole, does committee agree that Bill 76, An Act to Amend the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, is now ready for third reading?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Does the committee agree that this concludes our consideration of Bill 76, An Act to Amend the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act?
Agreed.
Thank you, Member, and thank you to the witnesses. Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses from the chamber.
What is the wish of committee? Mr. O’Reilly.
Gee, I’m kinda forgetful, Madam Chair. Can -- sorry, I would like to ask the Chair to – I move to ask – I move that the chair rise and report progress.
There is a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and nondebatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.
Carried
I will now rise and report progress.
Mr. Speaker, your committee has been very busy and has been considering Tabled Document 813-19(2), Committee Report 42-19(2), Committee Report 48-19(2), Bill 60, Bill 66, Bill 67, Bill 73, and Bill 76, and I would like to report progress with 11 motions carried, and that Committee Report 42-19(2) and Committee Report 48-19(2) are concluded, and that Bills 60, 66, 67, 73, and 76 are ready for third reading, and that consideration of Tabled Document 813-19(2) is concluded and that the House concur in those estimates. And that an appropriation bill be based thereon and be introduced without delay. And, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
