Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Bill 12 is An Act to Amend the Education Act.

The key objective of the amendment to the act is to clarify and confirm the authority of education bodies to hire and employ superintendents of education outside the public service. This bill includes a consequential amendment to the Public Service Act.

The changes proposed to the act will support provisions of the Education Act originally intended when the act came into force in 1996, namely the education bodies would be allowed to hire and employ superintendents outside of the

public service. In fact, the hiring of superintendents outside the public service has been in practice with a number of our divisional education councils since 1996.

There has been some question, in recent years, how the intended provisions of the Education Act operate in light of the Public Service Act. The Public Service Act defines employment positions under divisional education councils as public service positions and does not specifically allow superintendents to be excluded from the public service. The issue was further clarified earlier this year, precipitating the need to align the two acts.

An Act to Amend the Education Act calls for an amendment to section 117(1)(m) of the Education Act to state that an education body shall employ a superintendent outside the public service. Consequential amendments to the Public Service Act are required to ensure the two acts are compatible.

Required amendments to the Public Service Act include amendments to schedules A and B. Schedule A is being amended to state that the reference to education authorities applies to every position other than superintendents, and schedule B is being amended to include superintendents in the listing of exempted positions.

This bill enjoys the support of the divisional education councils across the NWT and will clarify the relationships and responsibilities as originally intended when the Education Act was amended in 1996. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.