This is page numbers 1921 to 1954 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was honourable.

Topics

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS Section 48(1) of the Human Rights Act provides for the establishment of an adjudication panel composed of at least three persons appointed by the Commissioner on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the Board of Management has considered a number of qualified individuals for appointment and reappointment as adjudication panel members and the designation of an existing member as Chairperson;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that the following persons be recommended to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories for appointment as members of the Human Rights Adjudication Panel during good behaviour for a term of four years:

1) Mr. James Posynick of Creston, BC; and

2) Ms. Karen Snowshoe of Inuvik, NT;

AND FURTHER, that pursuant to Section 50(1) of the Human Rights Act, the Legislative Assembly recommends to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories the designation of Mr. Adrian Wright of Yellowknife as Chairperson of the Adjudication Panel.

Motion carried.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS Section 23.(1) of the Human Rights Act provides that the Commissioner, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, may appoint one or more Deputy Directors of Human Rights to carry out the responsibilities set out in the Act;

AND WHEREAS the Board of Management has recommended an individual to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make a recommendation;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Deborah McLeod be reappointed as the Deputy Director of Human Rights during good behaviour for a term of four years by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories as recommended by the Legislative Assembly;

AND FURTHER that the Speaker be authorized to communicate the effective date of appointment to the Commissioner.

Motion carried.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the Honourable Member for Thebacha, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on October 24, 2008, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, February 4, 2009.

AND FURTHER, that any time prior to February 4, 2009, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.

Motion carried.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to deal with the motion she gave notice of earlier today. Are there any nays?

An Honourable Member

Nay.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

I hear a nay. Motions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the Ministerial Benefits Policy motion that I gave notice of earlier today.

Unanimous consent granted.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

You may proceed with your motion, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS the Ministerial Benefits Policy has been tabled in this House;

AND WHEREAS the Ministerial Benefits Policy requires detailed consideration;

NOW THEREFORE I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Tabled Document 7-16(3), Ministerial Benefits Policy, be referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The motion is on the floor. Motion is in order. To the motion.

Some Honourable Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Question is being called.

Motion carried.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7, oral questions.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 7, oral questions.

Unanimous consent granted.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had a couple of questions today for the Minister of Transportation to get to the issue of right hand drive vehicles and their registration here in the Northwest Territories.

I do believe that rules have to be applied equally and fairly across the board when dealing with our residents. In a case that was brought to my attention over the summer, there was a vehicle purchased back in May of this year. It was taken to be registered at Motor Vehicles here in Yellowknife and was denied registration. It still hasn’t been registered to this date.

At that time, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Transportation had said that no other right hand drive vehicles would be registered in the Northwest Territories, but it has come to my attention that the department has registered other right hand drive vehicles subsequent to saying no to this individual.

I would like the Minister to perhaps just give me an explanation of what their policy is when it comes to right hand drive vehicles.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Minister of Transportation

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The emerging issue of right hand drive vehicles and the number of them that are coming into our area has been a concern for some time now. Most of these vehicles are coming from Japan.

We have been working toward and looking at developing a policy over the past spring. Earlier this summer we decided that we needed to move forward and put in a policy that requires right hand drive vehicles to be inspected on a 12 step safety and equipment inspection. Prior to that, we did not have a policy that applied to right hand drive vehicles, and there was a vehicle that was refused for registration because they did not have a safety inspection. There was another vehicle that was approved because they were safety inspected in another jurisdiction, and that one went forward and was registered.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

The vehicle in question was over 15 years old, and according to national standards, that vehicle would be able to be registered in Canada.

It’s insured. It was able to get insurance. There is a bill of sale. It had all the necessary documentation.

I’m just wondering, after this happened, what would allow another right hand drive vehicle to be registered in the Northwest Territories when this one couldn’t.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Minister of Transportation

It’s a relatively simple situation, where one vehicle had a safety inspection and the other one didn’t. We approved the registration of the vehicle that had the safety inspection, and we required the other person who came forward to go through a safety inspection. And we did put the policy together to define what that would mean.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

What does the Department of Transportation base its safety inspection on? Is it tagged to another jurisdiction? How does that work? How they did arrive at what vehicle is safe and what vehicle isn’t safe on the road?