Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the purpose of the committee of the whole today is to speak to the principle of the bill here and I think that we may be getting a bit off the principle. I am certainly open, as Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, to hear any concerns that people may have with regard to approachability or accessibility or issues that they may have. We are working, as a compensation board, to try to continually improve our record on that side and I think that if we are running into difficulties, then those should be directed to the Workers' Compensation Board first of all. I would like to know about them if Members are hearing anything. We want to maintain a good service and certainly be approachable to the public. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. General comments. Clause-by-clause. Clause 1.

Clause 2.

Clause 3.

Bill as a whole.

Agreed. Does the committee agree that Bill 11 is ready for third reading?

Agreed. Bill 11 is now ready for third reading. I would like to thank the Minister and his witness. The committee agreed that the next bill that we are going to deal with is Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Power Corporation Act and Public Service Act. It is tab 15 in your grey binders. With that, I would like to ask the Minister responsible for introducing this bill if he has any opening comments.

Mr. Chairman, the agreement of the NWT Power Corporation to provide services in Nunavut expires March 31, 2001. To enable a smooth transition of employees from the NWT Power Corporation to the Nunavut Power Corporation, amendments to legislation in both the NWT and Nunavut are required. The approach we are taking to facilitate this transfer is the same approach that was taken to transfer employees from the GNWT to the Government of Nunavut on April 1, 1999.

The president of the Union of Northern Workers has been consulted regarding these legislative amendments and did not express any concern. The amendments to the Nunavut Power Utilities Act were given assent on November 3, 2000, by the Nunavut Legislature.

Mr. Chairman, we are proposing amendments to both the NWT Power Corporation Act and the Public Service Act that together, with the amendments made to the Nunavut Public Utilities Act, will result in a smooth transfer of employees to the Nunavut Power Corporation.

The amendments to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation Act will result in the employees located in the Nunavut Territory ceasing to be employees of the NWT Power Corporation at the end of the day on March 31st, 2001. The amendments further clarify that these individuals will not be entitled to severance pay or compensation as a result of the change in employer. It should be noted that the employees will transfer to the Nunavut Power Corporation with all of their terms and conditions of employment intact.

The amendment to the Public Service Act is minimal, consisting only of a consequential amendment to Schedule A, which is the schedule that sets out the portions of the public service of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chairman

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Does the committee responsible for overseeing this bill have any comments? Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight has reviewed Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Power Corporation Act and the Public Service Act, and held a public hearing on November 9, 2000. There were no comments or presentations made by the public or any other stakeholder. Bill 15 amends the Northwest Territories Power Corporation Act to provide that effective April 1, 2001, the Government of Nunavut will become responsible for the severance, benefits, pay and compensation for the former employees of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation who work in Nunavut. The consequential amendment to the Public Service Act removes a previous amendment that allowed the employees of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation to be employed in Nunavut. Similar legislation has been introduced and passed in the Nunavut Legislature. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight had no significant concerns with the amendments proposed in Bill 15. Individual members of the committee may have comments or questions as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. At this time, I would like to ask the Minister if he will be bringing in any witnesses.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Does the committee concur?

Sergeant-at-Arms, would you escort the witness in? For the record, Mr. Minister, could you introduce your witness?

Mr. Chairman, with me is Lew Voytilla, secretary to the Financial Management Board.

Welcome. We are dealing with Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Power Corporation Act and the Public Service Act. Any general comments? Clause-by-clause? Agreed?