Mr. Chairman, the purpose of Bill 11, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2007, is to amend various statutes of the Northwest Territories for which minor changes are proposed or errors or inconsistencies have been identified. Each amendment included in the bill had to meet the following criteria:
- a) It must not be controversial;
- b) It must not involve the spending of public funds;
- c) It must not prejudicially affect rights;
- d) It must not create a new offence or subject a new class of persons to an existing office.
Departments responsible for the various statutes being amended have reviewed and approved the changes.
Most amendments proposed in Bill 11 are minor in nature and many consist of technical corrections to a statute. Other changes have the effect of repealing certain enactments or statutory provisions that have expired or have otherwise ceased to have effect. The amendments are of such a nature that the preparation and legislative consideration of individual bills to correct each statute would be time consuming for the Government and the Legislative Assembly.
I will be pleased to answer the committee's questions. Thank you.