Madam Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Sixth Session of the 12th Legislative Assembly.
The past few years have been a period of change and adjustment in the Northwest Territories, as we consolidated departments, decentralized and privatized some services, changed our approach to staff housing, and moved towards the constitutional reality of two new territories by 1999.
Standing and special committees of this House have played a major role in the process, particularly in the areas of health, social services and housing and in helping to meet the financial challenges resulting from cuts in the transfer payments we receive from the federal government.
We've been through some very difficult situations, but we have managed to maintain spending levels for essential programs and services, and to make sure that certain initiatives were introduced to create jobs now and to build for a better future.
The public servants who deliver our programs and services have faced the greatest challenge with respect to reforms instituted by the government and the Legislative Assembly. Change is never easy, particularly when the challenge is to do more with less. The process leads to uncertainty and anxiety for many people, yet our public servants have demonstrated a great deal of professionalism and integrity in tackling the job that has to be done.
There is considerable work to complete before the term of the government ends, including the development of a strategy to combat family violence and the reform of income support programs. Of particular importance to government at this time is the need to introduce significant legislative initiatives before this session is recessed later this week so that standing committees can use the summer period to consider them and undertake any public consultation that will be required.
Madam Speaker, on a number of occasions, beginning with the introduction of a private Member's bill by the Member for Deh Cho, the government and the Assembly have spoken about their commitment towards making sure our constituents have a legislated right of access to information relating to the operations of government and its institutions. Consequently, the government will be introducing an Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act before the recess.
The act proposes to provide the public with a right to access information held by government, subject to specific and limited exceptions. The bill will also control the manner in which the government may collect and use personal information about individuals and would establish an access and privacy commission on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly. Budget projections relating to the act and a legislative action paper on establishing an ombudsman will also be presented to the House.
Madam Speaker, all of us are aware of the need to address shortcomings in the existing legislation as it relates to the safe operation of existing mines in the Northwest Territories and new mines that may develop as a result of extensive diamond and basic metal exploration currently taking place in the western territories.
As a result, a new Mine Health and Safety Act will also be introduced before the recess. The bill marks the end of a long process involving extensive consultation with the industry, trade unions, non-union workers and mine occupational health and safety committees. It will replace the present Mining Safety Act which is both antiquated and unwieldy and very difficult to understand.
The new act isn't written for lawyers and judges. Instead, the proposed bill is a clear and simple document that will be easy to understand by the average mine worker and his or her supervisors. The need for clarity cannot be too strongly emphasized. In many cases, understanding the rules about mine safety can mean the difference between life and death.
Madam Speaker, during this session, the government will also be presenting the following bills for consideration in the House: The Guardianship and Trusteeship Act, the Aboriginal Custom Adoption Recognition Act, an Act to Amend the Liquor Act, and Appropriation Act, No. 1, 1995-96.
The Aboriginal Custom Adoption Recognition Act is designed to eliminate the time-consuming process of formalizing custom adoptions in the Northwest Territories. The act establishes a simple procedure to obtain recognition of an aboriginal custom adoption that will have the same effect as a court order.
The Guardianship and Trusteeship Act provides for the court appointment of a guardian to make decisions on behalf of an adult who is not capable of independently managing his or her personal care or health care, and for the appointment of a trustee for an adult who is not capable of independently managing his or her financial affairs.
Amendments to the Liquor Act will widen the scope of the local option system of liquor control presently set out in existing legislation. It will also give the Liquor Licensing Board more control over its proceedings and enable a responsible Minister, at the request of a community, to ban the consumption, purchase, sale or transportation of liquor in the community in which a special occasion is scheduled to occur.
Finally, Appropriation Act, No. 1, 1995-96, will be presented in October. It will detail capital spending plans that are designed to maximize opportunities for northern-based construction companies and job opportunities for people wanting to participate in a wage economy.
Your government considers these bills essential to the good conduct of government business. I particularly wish to recommend passage of Appropriation Act, No. 1, 1995-96.
In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip for undertaking a visit to the Northwest Territories this summer. A number of special events are being planned.
Madam Speaker, I would now like to commend to you, for your earnest consideration and wise judgement, the business of this House, as I declare open the Sixth Session of the 12th Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
---Applause