The Member for Keewatin Central is seeking consent to deal with Bill 3 today. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Todd, you have consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe that Bill 3, an Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Financial Administration Act to provide that the Commissioner or the board of a public agency may, with the approval of the Financial Management Board and on behalf of the government or the public agency, make a guarantee if the specified limit is not exceeded.

Thank you.

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. Bill 3 has had second reading and accordingly the bill stands referred to a committee. Second reading of bills. Mr. Todd.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to wave rule 69(2) and have Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act ordered into the committee of the whole for today.

The Member for Keewatin Central is seeking unanimous to wave rule 69(2) to have Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act ordered into the committee of the whole for today. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Todd, you have unanimous consent. Second reading of bills. Mr. Ng.

Mr. Speaker, I seek consent to proceed with second reading of Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Elections Act. Thank you.

Thank you. The Member for Kitikmeot is seeking consent to deal with this bill for today. Do we have nays? There are no nays. Mr. Ng, you have consent.

Thank you, honourable colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh that Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Elections Act be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Elections Act to standardize references relating to the residence of electors, to clarify that a person who resides outside of the Northwest Territories may not vote at an election, to provide that the territories may make agreements with other jurisdictions respecting the conduct of elections, and to make a number of other minor changes to the Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Your motion is in order. To the principle of the bill. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. Bill 4 has had second reading and accordingly the bill stands referred to a committee. Second reading of bills. Mr. Ng.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 69(2) and have Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Elections Act ordered into the committee of the whole today. Thank you.

Thank you. The Member for Kitikmeot is seeking unanimous consent to waive rule 69(2) to deal with Bill 4. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Ng, you have unanimous consent. Bill 4 will be referred to committee of the whole today. Second reading of bills. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek consent to proceed second reading of Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

The Member for Keewatin Central is seeking unanimous consent to deal with Bill 6 for today. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Todd, you have unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe that Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Income Tax Act to provide that when the Minister of National Revenue remits tax, interests and penalties to an individual taxpayer, he or she may, in some circumstances, also remit the Northwest Territories portion of the tax, interest and penalties. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Todd. Your motion is in order. To the principle of the bill. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion is carried. Bill 6 has had second reading and accordingly the bill stands referred to a committee. Second reading of bills. Item 19, consideration in committee of the whole of bills and other matters, consideration of Mid-Term Review; Tabled Document 1-13(5); Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Financial Administration Act and Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Elections Act. With Mr. Steen in the Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman for recognizing me right away. I am going to be talking in Inuktitut. (Translation) Mr. Chairman, I will want to ask the Minister this question with regard to Health and Social Services, the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services regarding the people who are going to Iqaluit for medical reasons or to Montreal. They used to be able to have escorts and they would be escorted by their relatives when they went away to the medical centres. After the policies and guidelines have changed in Health and Social Services, in particular in the Inuit communities and perhaps in the western Arctic as well; the policies are very awkward, mainly because of the reasons of the hospital patients who are near death, sometimes are not escorted by their relatives, as long as the relatives do not pay their own way. I will be asking Minister Kelvin Ng a question. Can he put forward a policy that will be understandable for Nunavut people as well as the western Arctic? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (Translation ends)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the medical travel component of the budgets for medical patients was transferred to the boards and by the same token they had the flexibility to design policies around medical travel. Generally speaking, Mr. Chairman, we undertook when we first initiated some of our health and social service reforms, we

undertook to basically eliminate the funding for escorts unless they were escorts for minors, of course, who are not of legal age to make decisions about their own treatment. We have given some flexibility to the boards, but our priority has been on funding medical travel for the patients so they can obtain the treatment they require, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to ask another question to the same Minister with regard to escorts. If a spouse were to die and the body was to be shipped back to the community, who would be responsible to pay for the freight of the body to be shipped back to the community? Would the office of Health and Social Services be responsible to pay for the freight of the body to be shipped back to the community? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (Translation ends)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in those unfortunate circumstances where somebody was to pass away outside of their home community, while they were out for medical treatment, yes, the Department of Health and Social Services would pay for having the remains sent back to the community where they originated. Mr. Chairman, thank you.