Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would; and, with your indulgence, I would also like to do the opening comments for Bill 4 at the same time as I do Bill 3.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, and Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Supplementary Retiring Allowances Act, implement many of the recommendations of the Independent Commission to Review Members' Compensation and Allowances. The report of this commission was tabled during the last sitting of the House. I want to take this opportunity to again thank the members of the commission for their thorough report and thoughtful recommendations.
Bills 3 and 4 are the first step in implementing the commission's recommendations. Many of the recommendations not addressed in this bill will be addressed by way of regulation and Board of Management policy in the next year. Some of the commission's recommendations, after careful review by the Board of Management, are not proposed for implementation. Among these recommendations which the board has not included in these bills are the proposed nine percent increase to MLAs' salaries, the inclusion of a housing component in the northern living allowance, the inclusion of constituency assistants in the public service and a reduction in the maximum transition allowance from 12 to six months.
With few exceptions, Mr. Chairman, this bill maintains the status quo with respect to Members' compensation and allowances. Specifically, Bill 3 proposes to implement the following recommendations of the independent commission:
- • recommendations three and four which link annual increases and MLAs' salaries to the consumer price index as opposed to negotiated UNW wage increases;
- • $7,500 increase in the annual indemnity paid to the Speaker of the House to bring this position closer to the pay provided to a Minister;
- • the introduction of a $3,000 indemnity to the chair of Caucus, which is currently an unpaid appointment;
- • the replacement of the current penalty system for failure to attend meetings with a public attendance report to be tabled at each sitting of the House;
- • the replacement of the current non-taxable allowance with an incidental expense allowance for all Members, and dual household allowance for non-Yellowknife Members;
- • enabling legislation to allow Cabinet to establish additional allowances and benefits for Members of the Executive Council on the condition that the policies establishing these allowances be tabled in the House in addition to an annual report of all allowances paid.
Bill 4 amends the Supplementary Retiring Allowances Act to allow a Member to opt into the pension plan after each general election on a go-forward basis, should they elect to do so.
The effective date of all these legislative provisions is the commencement of the 16th Legislative Assembly. The bills will not impact or benefit any sitting Member of the 15th Legislative Assembly.
It's the opinion of your Board of Management that these proposed changes are balanced and reasonable given the nature of the duties and responsibilities of an MLA and the evolving social and economic realities of the Northwest Territories.
This concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.