Agreed.

--- Agreed

Public Safety

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Occupational Health And Safety

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Labour Board And Labour Services

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Public Utilities Board

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Agreed.

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Agreed.

--- Agreed

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I will. I just have a very short statement to make, and then, if I may, I will move to my witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Budget Measures Implementation Act is a consolidation of the most significant legislative changes necessary to implement the plans upon which the 1996-97 budget is based. Each component of this legislation is required to implement a particular aspect of the budget. Any substantial change to the act would require a change to the appropriation bill and an increase in the projected deficit for 1996-97.

Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee on Government Operations has reviewed each component of the act and has held public consultations. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to present the report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations on the review of Bill 10.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations has reviewed Bill 10, Budget Measures Implementation Act, 1996-97. Bill 10 is a bill to complement and support the 1996-97 budget that is currently under review in the House. It contains nine schedules which address the acts requiring amendment to allow changes proposed as part of the budget process to proceed.

From May 15th to 18th, the committee held public hearings on the bill and entertained six submissions. A public clause-by-clause review of the bill was held on May 21 st and 22nd.

The standing committee does not have significant concerns with schedule B, amendments to the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, dealing with the Conflict of Interest Commission; schedule D, dissolution of regional councils and repeal of Regional Councils Act; schedule E, amendments to the Charter Communities Act and Hamlets Act, dealing with levies for water and sewage; schedule G, amendments to the Legal Services Act, dealing with the payment of disbursements only in contingency cases; or, schedule H, amendments to the Condominium Act, dealing with condominiums on leasehold land.

Committee Members recognized a need for schedule A, amendments to the Deficit Elimination Act. The original act was passed during the 12th Assembly when Members anticipated a slight deficit as a worst-case scenario. The current financial crisis and potential deficit of $150 million were not contemplated at that time. Most Members agreed that the targets set in the original act are not achievable at this time and it is more appropriate to revise the act, making it more consistent with the current fiscal reality, than to ignore it. There was considerable discussion among standing committee Members regarding the proposed amendments to the Deficit Elimination Act and, in particular, the two per cent limit set for 1997-98. With the process of business plan and budget reviews, all Members of the Assembly contribute to the development of the budget. With this in mind, the decision was made to bring the bill to the House and to allow full debate on this schedule by all Members.

During committee consideration of schedule C, amendments to the legislation governing the pension plans for Members of the Legislative Assembly, some further amendments were made. The majority of the standing committee supported a change to allow Members to defer the start of their pension past age 55 and draw an increased pension at a later date. To ensure this change did not allow a pension taken in later years to be inconsistent with the pension originally intended, there was an additional amendment to cap the compacted pension at 75 per cent of the best four years of service.

The committee supported schedule F, the repeal of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act. Part of the reason for this support were the assurances of the Minister that there are other programs available to assist victims of crime. Through the Standing Committee on Social Programs, Members will ensure that this is the case and that victims do not fall through the cracks without support.

Schedule 1, which provides amendments to allow the transfer of occupational health and safety from the Department of Safety and Public Services to the Workers' Compensation Board, was the subject of many of the public presentations. The primary concern among those who spoke to the bill was not the transfer itself, but the process used to undertake the transfer.

A major issue was a lack of consultation regarding the actual transfer. The standing committee agrees with the Minister that there has been considerable discussion over the past 10 years regarding the transfer of occupational health and

While the Members of this Assembly have all been elected to represent all northerners, we still have a responsibility to consult affected individuals and organizations before proceeding with initiatives such as this transfer. All government Ministers should ensure that extensive and adequate consultations be undertaken before any similar initiatives are presented to committee in the future.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes the report on Bill 10 of the Standing Committee on Government Operations. After the general comments by the Members, I will be making a motion on behalf of the committee.