Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Bill 63, An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act, be read for the second time.
This bill amends the Official Languages Act to update the preamble to
Recognize the legacy of colonialism on Indigenous languages in the Northwest Territories and reaffirm the commitment of the government to the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
Clarify and strengthen the role of the Languages Commissioner;
Merge the Official Languages Board and Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board into the Official Languages Board to improve efficiency and provide for an updated role;
Revise the time period for statutory reviews of the act from every five years to within the first two years of every second Legislative Assembly beginning in the 21st Legislative Assembly; and,
Update the act so as to be more inclusive, including through the use of "Indigenous" over "aboriginal" and the use of genderneutral language.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. This bill comes out of some cooperative work and review that the Standing Committee on Government Operations has done of the Official Languages Act over the years, and this Act is long overdue for some changes. I'd like to thank the Minister for his work with committee to date.
I'll also just note committee is still currently in the process of a statutory review of the Official Languages Act. We are still welcome to take any submissions. You know, I think it was our hope when this Assembly first started that we would see a much larger overhaul of the Official Languages Act, as has been requested, but I'm happy to see these changes and to, you know, start the work and strengthen all the great work our official Languages Commissioner is doing. And there's a couple more steps to go in reviewing the bill, and committee's tabling their final review of the Official Languages Act as it now stands. But just thank committee and all of those who participated to date. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. To the principle of the bill.
Question.
DEPUTY SPEAKER:
Carried
Second reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
