Thank you. Page 3, clause 6. Agreed?
Debates of Dec. 8th, 1998
This is page numbers 585 - 623 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 6th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was nunavut.
Topics
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you. Back to the cover sheet. Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Wildlife Act. Agreed?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you. Bill 27 is now ready for third reading. I thank the Minister and his witnesses. We will now move on to Bill 28. Agreed?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you. Bill 28, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act. I invite the Minister, Mr. Dent, to make his opening comments on the bill.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 618
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as Members may recall, following extensive public consultation, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment proposed major changes to the Income Support Program in 1996.
The changes were approved and implemented in January of 1997. Included in the changes were the establishment of the concept of productive choice, an alteration to the categories for benefits as well as changes to rates paid for particular benefits under the program.
Given the regulatory structure of the Income Support Program, it was necessary to make amendments to the regulations under the Social Assistance Act in order to implement some of these changes. The regulation giving approval for the changes retroactive to January 1, 1997, was approved by the FMB on January 13, 1997. However, as the result of a combination of factors, the regulation was not registered. When this oversight was discovered earlier this year, the regulation was registered. However, it could only be retroactive to the beginning of the 1997/98 fiscal year. This leaves three months during which the revised Income Support Program was delivered without the necessary regulatory changes necessary to do so.
The bill before you simply rectifies this oversight and gives legal force to the implementation of the program between January 1st and March 31, 1997. I will be happy to answer any questions Members may have. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Minister Dent. There are no comments from the committee, so I invite the Minister to bring in any witnesses.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do not have any witnesses with me so I will try and answer the questions.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Mr. Dent. General comments on the bill? Does the committee agree we are ready to go clause by clause on the bill?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you. Cover sheet. Bill 28, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act. Mr. Henry.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
Seamus Henry Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I certainly realize that the payment was made to some individuals as the Minister has stated. I would also suggest that probably the individuals in this situation would not have the funds to repay it, nor would I be suggesting it. I was wondering if the Minister could tell me what would happen in a similar situation of an overpayment, as there has been in the Student Financial Assistance Program. Would the department recoup the monies that had been paid out in excess of what should have been paid out? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Mr. Henry. I take it you are addressing your question to clause 1 in the act.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
Seamus Henry Yellowknife South
The bill.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
The Chair Vince Steen
The bill as a whole? Thank you, Mr. Henry. Mr. Dent, would you like to answer the question?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In any case where income support is overpaid, the department officials make attempts to recover any overpayment. This situation, though, is one which the payments were issued as a result of the change in the regulation, but the regulation was not registered. The payments that were given to individuals match the schedule. Nobody was overpaid or underpaid according to the schedule. The problem is that the schedule was not registered, so there was no legal basis for having made the changes to the payments that we made. Some people received more than they would have before the regulations were changed, some people received less. It was just that the whole system was changed and we did not manage to register the changes to the regulations. The changes did not have the effect of law but nobody was paid anything different than what the schedules called for.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 619
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Minister Dent. I call again, Bill 28, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act. Agreed?