Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will have the information to the Member by the middle of next week. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise on a point of privilege. Mr. Speaker, the Chairman of the Financial Management Board continued to bring up my role as Chairman of a Standing Committee and my question on the liquor deposits. He again and again flippantly, sarcastically, jokingly responded with orbits and celestial dursion. Mr. Speaker, my point of privilege is that as a Member by identifying me as a chair of a committee he insinuated that my question was not appropriate. Mr. Speaker, I asked a question as an ordinary Member of this House and not as a chair of any committee. Thus, my point of privilege. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Picco. I will review the Hansards to report what Mr. Todd has said and what you have said and also look at your point of privilege and get back to the Member tomorrow. Oral questions. Mr. Steen.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Antoine. Two questions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is involved with the other departments, Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development and Finance, Education, Culture and Employment on a working group of Cabinet to look at a fresh approach that is required to try to involve all stakeholders including ourselves, the territorial government and the federal government and private sector and claimant groups. We have been asked by the Cabinet and Financial Management Board to work on this initiative and report back to the Cabinet and Financial Management Board with a plan and a strategy. We are hoping to provide the strategy to the Cabinet soon. Once they review it, then we will make it public and share the information with you. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Steen.

Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is finalizing this strategy with its other partners and within the next week or two, hopefully, I will have it ready to present to Cabinet. Thank you.

Oral questions. Item 7, written questions. Mr. Picco.

Written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Government Operations has reviewed Bill 15, an Act to amend the Workers' Compensation Act and would like to report that Bill 15 is now ready for consideration in committee of the whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Item 13, tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motions for first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of bills. Item 18, second reading of bills. Item 19, consideration in committee of the whole of bills and other matters, Bill 3, Family Law Act; Bill 4, Children's Law Act; Bill 5, Adoption Act; Bill 6, Child and Family Services Act; and Bill 19, Municipal Statutes Amending Act, No. 2 with Mr. Ningark in the chair.

Thank you. I would like to bring the committee to order. Item 19, we have a number of items here, Bill 3, Family Law Act; Bill 4, Children's Law Act; Bill 5, Adoption Act; Bill 6, Child and Family Services Act; and Bill 19, Municipal Statutes Amending Act, No. 2. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Ootes.

The chairman of the Ordinary Members' Caucus is recommending that we deal with Bill 19, Municipal Statutes Amending Act, No. 2. Do we agree?

Agreed.

Thank you. We will take a 15 minutes break.

--Break

I would like to call the committee back to order. We are dealing with Bill 19, Act 2. I believe the Minster in this case is Manitok Thompson. Do you have an opening remark on this bill? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to speak to this committee about the Municipal Statutes Amending Act 2. This Assembly passed the Municipal Statutes Amending Act 1 last March, which made a number of changes. Municipalities need it right away to be able to meet their current responsibilities. One of these changes was to allow hamlets and charter communities to borrow for land development purposes. The Municipal Statutes Amending Act 2 would make amendments to borrowing powers that would save municipalities money.

Mr. Chairman, right now municipalities can only borrow from banks or from government. The proposed amendment would give municipalities more choice about who they can borrow from. This flexibility would make it possible for municipalities to shop around and find the best deal on the market.

Long-term borrowing by non-tax based communities will still be limited to land development projects. The department will continue to monitor the financial status closely, and will be able to refuse permission for borrowing if necessary.

These amendments were developed by the Municipal Legislation Review Committee which is co-chaired by the President of the NWT Association of Municipalities and my Deputy Minister. The Department of Finance also assisted in preparing these amendments.

Mr. Chairman, later I will be making a motion to amend this bill. The intent of this motion is to permit an exemption from the rate payer approval required for long-term borrowing by law where the borrowing will result in a net savings to the municipality. This will allow municipal taxing authorities to take advantage of opportunities to save their rate payers money that they might otherwise miss because of the time it takes to hold a vote.

The motion would also make some of the wording in the rate payer approval exemption provision clearer. Mr. Chairman, I am confident that these amendments strike the right balance between giving municipalities the flexibility to meet local needs and making sure that they do not get in over their heads. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Madam Minister. The Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee which reviewed this bill, Mr. Picco.