Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee reviewed this and went through hearings and there were no major issues with the bill. Technical amendments, by nature.
The Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development conducted a public review of Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Consumer Protection Act, on March 5, 2003. The committee would like to thank the Minister and his staff for presenting the bill.
Members are pleased that these amendments will bring the NWT legislation on collection agencies into line with other provinces and territories. This will help to ensure that collection agencies are following the same rules across the country, and that debtors are treated fairly.
The committee has some continuing concerns with the practice of credit bureaus, but understands that this issue is beyond the scope of Bill 4. In particular, Members are concerned about protecting people from bad credit ratings based on incorrect information. Members would urge the Minister to have the department monitor this issue and consider whether it needs to be addressed in future amendments.
This concludes the Standing committee on Governance and Economic Development's review of Bill 4.