R.J. Simpson

Yes, I would.

Mr. Speaker, as we prepare to wrap up another school year, I want to highlight a number of exciting initiatives that reflect our government's commitment to improve student outcomes in the Northwest Territories. This semester, three high schools in the territory piloted the new Northern Studies 30 curriculum. This madeintheNWT high school course is the first in the territory to follow British Columbia’s curricular framework. Topics range from oral history and traditions to historical land use, colonization, language reclamation, NWT treaties and land claim agreements, consensus government, and...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 94, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, three years ago I was mandated to initiate a review of our government's Student Financial Assistance Program with the goal of improving access to postsecondary education for all Northwest Territories residents by reducing barriers and ensuring benefit levels are meeting the needs of students. I am happy to say that we have completed our review and are now taking steps towards implementing necessary, significant changes to the program to better meet the needs of students.

The review examined the Student Financial Assistance Program's alignment with the Truth and Reconciliation...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Bill 79, An Act to Amend the Judicature Act, be read for the third time. And, Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, June 1st, 2023, I will present Bill 94, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the spirit of consensus government, Cabinet has taken the approach that we are not going to stand in the way of bills presented by Members at second reading. We're not endorsing the bill but we're not standing in the way of it either. So for those reasons, we will be abstaining from this vote. Thank you.

With me today, I have Ian Rennie, legislative counsel with the Department of Justice; and, Paul McKenna, legal counsel with the Department of Justice. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here today to present Bill 79, An Act to Amend the Judicature Act.

The purpose of Bill 79 is to bring the Northwest Territories into compliance with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement; and, to make unrelated improvements to the functioning of the Court of Appeal.

The Canadian Free Trade Agreement is an intergovernmental agreement between the Canadian provinces and territories which has replaced the former Agreement on Internal Trade. The Government of the Northwest Territories signed the new agreement in April 2017 and is now obligated to make changes to our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So by linking the number of years of schooling to the remissible loan program, I'm not sure if that is necessarily a retention tool because you have to go to school first before you get the SFA. The remissible loan actually is remissible if you move back to the territory. So a resident, and I know some people who moved here when they were 17, 18 so they didn't actually do school here, but now they have families here. But, you know, they've made comments that I would have liked to have been able to access some sort of student financial assistance. So this is an...