Henry Zoe North Slave

...in our May sitting. On that same issue, I wonder if the government also would consider having their Members having a free vote on this. Thank you.

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. To the amendment. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will not be supporting this motion, Mr. Speaker, because as I stated earlier I do not believe the amendments yesterday did change the bill substantially. But more importantly, Mr. Speaker, I just need to make it very clear because the suggestions and assertions being made here are very serious and I think they should be answered to. Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that even the committee, I have to tell you for the House that the committee agreed that the bill was ready for Committee of the Whole. That's how it ended up in this committee. It was moved to the committee by the committee. There were no indications there that would suggest anything other than normal democratic process. I should also point out that it's a very routine procedure that bills are amended in Committee of the Whole all the time. We just did that in supplementary appropriation yesterday. That is what we're supposed to do. We make amendments to bills all the time as long as it does not change the nature and substance of the bill. I don't believe the amendments that were made yesterday do that.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like reiterate once again because I think it's really important that there be no impression put out there that the public did not have a chance to respond to this. Mr. Speaker, this was introduced last October. That was six months ago. It's not like this bill was introduced two weeks ago and it's being rammed through the House. It was introduced in October. It was advertised all through November. There were public announcements on the radio in February for all the public hearings we had. I'm compelled to say, as the chair of the committee, that I could appreciate everybody not agreeing on this bill, but I think the objections to the process are verging on something more serious. It really seems to be questioning the conduct of the committee. Mr. Speaker, I would urge the Members to be more generous about how they regard the work of a committee. Thank you.

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. To the amendment. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to say two things. The first thing is I'm very supportive of Bill 17...and I stress, wait for the second.

I can't see why we would stop or stall, because I really believe in rights and the acceptance of rights. But I can't say that on one hand, without giving my colleagues the extra couple of months that they have asked for. That's all that they have asked for. The problem is what do we do if it prorogues, and that's exactly it. I need to hear how it's brought back on the paper by someone who is speaking in favour of the delay, how we assure that that can be brought back in May. If I can be assured of that, I can wait until May. But I can't go strictly on a leap of faith that it will return in May. So unless I hear that today, I'll be voting against it. So somebody needs to speak to how it will be back on the paper, and I will vote in favour of the amendment.

---Applause

The Speaker Paul Delorey

To the amendment. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Bill Braden Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, it should be very clear that we are about to prorogue, and approval of this motion would take it off the order paper. It would die, we would have to begin the process all over again, and I do not see at all the benefit of that. So I will be voting against this motion.

I think Ms. Lee captured what we should be looking at here, and the objections are to process, and not in this venue, Mr. Speaker, to the substance of it.

Standing committee chose to allow all of those amendments, those five amendments that the Member for Nahendeh talked about. By the way, I think three of them were essentially typographical errors; they are of little substance. The Standing Committee on Social Programs said there are aspects of this that a broader membership of the Legislative Assembly should be allowed to speak to. We are not going to pre-empt or presume anything on their behalf; we're going to bring that debate into Committee of the Whole which, in effect, made it much more public and much more accessible for all Members and for the public to hear and see. So I think the procedural point that Social Programs committee sort of missed the boat by not adopting these amendments in committee was, in fact, a very positive and accommodating step and we have all benefited by that.

So I really urge Members to consider what value this will bring to this bill. It was made amply clear, in my listening to what was going on, that we can take this proactive step as a Legislative Assembly and change these laws now, or sit back and wait for a court or other jurisdictions to make those changes for us.

Three months...I'm sorry; if we follow this, the bill will have to start all over again. It could be at least another six months, maybe another year before we could see this back on the order paper to allow the kind of full public debate that is being advocated here. I do not see the benefit of it. This is a great exchange, Mr. Speaker, but I can't vote in support of this amendment.

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Braden. To the amendment.

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Question is being called. All those in favour of the amendment? All those opposed to the amendment? The amendment is defeated.

---Defeated

To the motion.

The Speaker Paul Delorey

A recorded vote is being requested. Mr. Clerk. All those in favour, please rise.

Recorded Vote