Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 12, Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Act.
Bill 12, sponsored by the Minister of Finance, sets out the legislative framework for the Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan to continue as a multi-employer, multijurisdictional public sector pension for employees of approved public employers in both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Bill 12 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on February 27, 2014, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review. At the same time, our counterparts in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut have been considering Bill 1, which largely mirrors the provisions of Bill 12.
Earlier this week the Nunavut Legislative Assembly adopted a motion to extend the period of time for their standing committee to consider Bill 1 by a further 120 days.
Today I am advising this House of our committee’s wish to join our counterparts in Nunavut and to extend our review of Bill 12 by the same amount of time, 120 days.
Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves in a unique situation whereby two distinct and independent Legislatures are considering amendments to two pieces of mirrored legislation governing a body that conducts businesses in both jurisdictions.
Given the shared nature of the pension plan between the two jurisdictions, it is essential that the two bills that will emerge from the two Legislatures be harmonized to the greatest extent possible.
Given the interest already expressed by constituents, the unique nature of this bill and the challenges proposed by its multijurisdictional nature, it will take time to do this job properly. I believe that lawmakers from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut would agree that this is the best way to ensure that NEBS gets the clear legislative framework that they need and the balanced one they deserve.
