Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to be here today to introduce the Division Measures Act. This bill, Mr. Chairman, and its companion bills, the Nunavut Statutes Replacement Act, and the Nunavut Statutes Amendment Act, are essential legislative initiatives to allow for a smooth transition to division.
Part 1 of this bill can be divided into two main types of amendments. The first deals primarily with Northwest Territories professional associations that have expressed a desire for their associations to maintain a relationship between their Northwest Territories and Nunavut members after division. These amendments have resulted after extensive consultation with professional organizations to review their post-division options.
The result was that nurses, chartered accountants, certified general accountants, management accountants and NAPEGG, the association representing engineers, geologist and geophysicists, all expressed a desire for their associations to maintain a regulatory role in Nunavut.
Mr. Chairperson, these amendments will allow these associations to continue to regulate their professions in both territories until there are sufficient numbers in Nunavut to warrant the creation of a separate professional organization.
Once this has occurred, Mr. Chairperson, these amendments provide for the assets and liabilities of the current association to be divided on a pro rata basis or, in most cases, any alternate formula that is agreed upon. This bill will ensure that the regulation of professions designed to protect the interests of the public and the professions themselves continue without interruption in both territories.
Mr. Chairperson, the second section of Part 1 deals generally with the consequences that arise with the division of the NWT on April 1, 1999. I want to go briefly through these amendments.
Amendments to the Legislative Assembly Retiring Allowances Act and the Supplementary Retiring Allowances Act will provide for the establishment of an advisory body to make recommendations to the Management and Services Boards of both territories respecting the administration of the Legislative Assembly Retiring Allowances Funds.
Changes to the Payroll Tax Act are designed to ensure that employees are not subject to double taxation by the two territories after division.
The Charter Communities Act has been amended to provide that the act will not apply in Nunavut; this will prevent the duplication of the act in Nunavut.
The Interpretation Act has been amended through the addition of definitions of 'province' and 'territory' for the sake of greater clarity.
The Statute Revision Act has amendments which will allow statute revisions prepared for the NWT to include statutory material enacted before March 31, 1999, in order that it can coincide with the deadline for the completion of the consolidated Statutes of Nunavut, 1999.
Finally, the Education Act has been changed to enable one conseil scolaire francophone to ask the Minister to establish a commission scolaire francophone de division.
In closing, Mr. Chairperson, I want to commend the work that has been done by the GNWT's Department of Justice and professional associations in the development of this legislation. As well, I would like to point out the important role of the Office of the Interim Commissioner and the Nunavut Tunngavik in the companion bills. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.