Thank you, Madam Chairperson. The special committee on Nunavut Legislation reviewed Bill 15, Nunavut Statutes Amendment Act, at its meeting on November 23 and 26, 1998. The committee would like to thank the Honourable Goo Arlooktoo and his officials for presenting the bill and responding to wishes raised by the committee.
Bill 15 amends the Nunavut revision of eight acts that will be duplicated for Nunavut. The amendments will come into force April 1, 1999. The NWT has the legislative authority to amend laws for Nunavut under section 76.05 of the Nunavut Act. However, as Members know, the NWT may only do this on recommendations of the Interim Commissioner of Nunavut. After consultation with NTI, the OIC has recommended this bill to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly. NTI has confirmed that it was consulted with respect to the bill and the bill is appropriate for Nunavut.
The bill amends the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act to ensure the act complies with the Nunavut Act and orders made under the act. The amended act will provide that there are 19 electoral districts in Nunavut and will set out a new schedule for the Nunavut electoral boundaries. As well, a Nunavut Assembly may continue for up to five years. The bill also updates the references to the amounts of Members' indemnities, allowances, expenses and deductions and sets out a schedule of maximum permissible constituency expenses for Nunavut.
The Western Canada Lottery Act is amended to allow Nunavut to make agreements with the NWT and the Yukon, as well as the provinces, to carry out western Canada lotteries. It also allows Sport North to continue to manage the lotteries for Nunavut. Amendments are also made to several other acts to ensure that the provisions are appropriate for Nunavut.
Madam Chairperson, some technical amendments were made to the bill in the committee, otherwise the standing committee was generally satisfied with the amendments proposed in this bill and they are appropriately made in preparation for division. Madam Chairperson, Members of the committee may have additional comments on the bill as we proceed. This concludes the special committee's comments on Bill 15, Nunavut Statutes Amendment Act. Thank you.