Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to present this report on behalf of the Standing Committee on Legislation. The Standing Committee on Legislation has completed its review of Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Limitation of Actions Act.

Bill 4 amends the Limitation of Actions Act by adding a new section to the legislation that deals with acts of injury of a sexual nature. The bill proposes to eliminate the limitation period for civil proceedings in actions based on injury of a sexual nature if a relationship of trust existed between the parties.

Bill 4 would also amend the legislation to allow that, in those cases where an injury is caused by a sexual act, but where no prior intimate, dependent, or trust relationship has been established, the limitation period will not begin until the victim is capable of bringing about the action.

Lastly, Bill 4 proposes to amend the Limitation of Actions Act to provide that the law of the territories shall overrule the limitations governing other jurisdictions if the action is commenced in the NWT and the court is satisfied that the laws of the other jurisdiction are not applicable.

The committee supports the amendments proposed in Bill 4 to extend or eliminate the limitation period for civil action in cases where the actions arise out of sexual assaults. The committee agrees that in cases where a victim is severely traumatized, the sexual offender, under the current two-year limitation period, is more likely to avoid civil consequences. The proposed amendments would permit adequate time for the victim to be reasonably capable of discovering the causal relationship between the injuries and the abuse and, therefore, sue the offender for the wrongdoing.

On January 10, 1995, the standing committee passed a motion that Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Limitation of Actions Act, be referred to the Legislative Assembly as ready for consideration in committee of the whole. This concludes the Standing Committee on Legislation's report on Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Limitation of Actions Act, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.