Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On March 5 the Macdonald-Laurier Institute released its report on the state of justice in Canada, with the Northwest Territories ranking 12th in the rankings of Canadian jurisdictions. I would like to ask the Minister of Justice what his comments are on the findings of this report, and whether or not he agrees with them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this assembly recommend that, in future, any GNWT department selected for an audit provide the Standing Committee on Government Operations with a copy of its action or implementation plan in draft format and, further, that the document not be finalized until the department has had an opportunity to consider the recommendations made as a result of the standing committee's review. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the parts I found most rewarding about my time as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories has been my involvement with public accounts committees.

Public accounts committees have a long tradition stretching back hundreds of years and are a notable feature of the Westminster system, from which our unique form of consensus government borrows some of its practices. Public accounts are where the government's books are looked at after a given fiscal year and where you can drill down into the details to see how taxpayer money was spent, ensure...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this assembly recommend that Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Infrastructure take the steps necessary to ensure that all eight recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General in its report are fully implemented in a timely manner. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 6-18(3), Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories, be received by the Assembly;

AND FURTHER, notwithstanding Rule 49, that Committee Report 6-18(3): Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I move that the Chairman of Committee of the Whole leave the chair to report progress. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the Minister for that clarification. I think this is, again, something that we heard very loudly from the arts community. I am really pleased that the Minister has brought this forward, happy to support it, and I am happy even more so that it is ongoing funding. Hopefully, we can get a few more dollars next business plan. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to present its Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories.

The Auditor General's report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on October 18, 2017. The Standing Committee on Government Operations held its public review of this performance audit report on January 17, 2018.

Committee members thank the Auditor General and officials from his office for preparing the report, for travelling to Yellowknife when the report was tabled and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the Minister's commitment. Mr. Speaker, the other areas that are required for a successful university or post-secondary institution are independence and, of course, an institution driven by research. Aurora College has ARI, the Aurora Research Institute, but what it doesn't have is an independent board. When will the Minister reappoint an independent board so the college can be at arm's length from government and control its own affairs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.