Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Premier commit to not taking any further action on this unless a proposal or resolution does come from the Dene National Assembly to this government, at which time would he please ask us what we would think of our government perhaps leading an initiative on something like this? I don’t

know how that would all take place, but I think it does bear some discussion as a full Caucus.

As I said earlier, before any decision is made, before any discussion happens we’ll have to sit down as Members. I absolutely agree, this would be a good Caucus discussion item.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to also ask the Premier when all the chiefs of the Northwest Territories gather and if they are going to draft a motion in terms of having some serious discussions on constitutional reform, there’s land claims settlements, there’s self-government settlements negotiated, that the Premier takes the motion very seriously for our people back in our communities who are represented by the leadership of the chiefs here in terms of bringing forward to, like Mrs. Groenewegen has indicated, the Assembly so we can have discussions. These are our chiefs that are speaking about this motion.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The relationship we have with aboriginal governments we take very seriously. In fact, that is why we’ve established the regional leaders meetings that we take part in with the grand chiefs and presidents of aboriginal government across the Territory. We have a joint ability to put items on the agenda. So those discussions and motions that are made are taken seriously. There are not all times we can agree with what’s put on the table. We let them know. But we continue to try to work on best efforts to strengthen our position from the Territory. Far too many times we find ourselves at odds and not moving ahead because Ottawa continues to tell us and make decisions in the North that have long-term impacts here. We’re starting to see the fact that we need to work together and pull our resources together and have that discussion. So yes, we do take their motion seriously.

In my question to the Premier regarding the constitution issue, certainly as he said Ottawa takes a lot of resources out of the Northwest Territories. In his discussions with devolution and resource revenue sharing, that is possibly a signal in terms of the development of a constitution and protection of constitutional rights in the Northwest Territories. In his discussions with those two specific areas, is that where this

government and Cabinet is looking at how we can evolve into getting stronger constitutional protection rights for the Northwest Territories where we can stand up and say yes, we are truly a partner in Canada.

The process we’re involved in exists within the framework we operate under. The NWT Act, our relationship with the federal government, this would not establish, it’s not the work of a constitutional process. It is within the existing framework that we have. If we’re going to enter into that area I think we do, as Members have stated, need to get to the table, have a discussion, work with the aboriginal leadership across the North, and see if we can come forward with a common process and understanding and who would take part, to what level, where the funds would come from, so on and so forth. That’s all very early stages. We might not have any discussion in that area. Our work is in the existing framework that we have to live with.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 9, written questions. Item 10, returns to written questions. Item 11, replies to the opening address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for the first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 7-16(3), Ministerial Benefits Policy; Committee Report 2-16(3), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on Matters Referred to the Committee; Committee Report 3-16(3), Report on the Use of Laptop Computers and Blackberry Devices in the Legislative Assembly; Tabled Document 11-16(3), NWT Main Estimates 2009-2010; Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Historical Resources Act; Bill 3, International Interest in Mobile Aircraft Equipment Act; Bill 4, Public Library Act; Bill 5, Professional Corporations Act; Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act with Mr. Abernethy in the chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The wish of the committee today is to

deal with Committee Report 3-16(3), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on the Use of Laptop Computers and Blackberry Devices in the Legislative Assembly. And then after that to continue on with consideration of the budget for the NWT Housing Corporation and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, time permitting.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. We’ll commence with that as soon as we’ve taken a short break. Is committee agreed? Sorry.

Okay. We’ll go with that once we have a short break.

---SHORT RECESS

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. Prior to the break, committee agreed that we would consider Committee Report 3-16(3), Report on the Use of Laptop Computers and BlackBerry Devices in the Legislative Assembly. I would like to go to the chair of Rules and Procedures for some opening comments. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures tabled Committee Report 3-16(3) on February 11, 2009. This report on the use of laptop computers and BlackBerry devices in the Legislative Assembly was read into the record and a motion was passed to move the report into Committee of the Whole. Members may recall that the report recommended that laptop computers be allowed during the Committee of the Whole proceedings during the sitting of the Legislative Assembly and that the use of laptops be evaluated.

The committee is also recommending that the standing and special committees of the Assembly allow the use of laptops during committee meetings. The committee further recommends that the issue of the purchase of laptops, the planning and installation of supporting infrastructure, required changes to operational procedures and the implementation plan be all developed.

Lastly, Mr. Chair, the committee is recommending that the use of BlackBerry devices be permitted but, similar to the use of cell phones, they must not disrupt Members’ activities.

Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to make the three motions as recommended by the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures in the report. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. You can proceed with your motion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that this committee recommends that Members be permitted to use laptops during Committee of the Whole proceedings during the winter 2009 session only, after which their use will be evaluated;

And further, that communication devices cannot be used by a Member who has the floor; and that a Member who has the floor must have his or her laptop closed.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. A motion is on the floor and is being distributed now.

The motion has been distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this is an exciting day for me because I have been trying to promote the use of laptops in Committee of the Whole for a long time. I’ve looked around Canada and I’ve seen that most Legislatures, including the House of Commons, allow the use of laptops in their proceedings and allow them to do the work required at the same time as normal House business goes on.

Mr. Chairman, I think this is a bit scary for some Members and it certainly would be new for others, but the thing here is it would allow Members to do work at the same time. I see it as a working tool brought into the House during what I would perceive as the least disruptive manner. Thinking green, Mr. Chairman, this allows us to type our Member’s statements instead of writing them out by hand, then taking them upstairs and retyping them. It also allows us to look towards the future through an e-process which allows us to get motions e-mailed to us as well as other committee documents, so it would mean less printing of paper in a needless way.

Mr. Chairman, in a working matter, this would also allow us to respond to e-mails while we are sitting here in Committee of the Whole and other Members are questioning the Minister through that process. So this could save a lot of additional time. At this time if we proceeded in this manner, this wouldn’t cost the Assembly anything additional in any way because it would simply be a test to the

process and Members can bring their own personal laptops down to the House.

As I understand it, it’s already wired, which means it can facilitate laptops to be done in a seamless way…Sorry, brought into the process in a seamless way and, of course, if the test proved to be worthy of proceeding further in the future, then we could look at logistics, working with the Board of Management.

I am just going to close and allow Members to have some debate, but this really opens the door to a new way of thinking and a new way of doing business. In my view, this doesn’t detract in any way from how we do business. This just enhances it with the tools we have at our fingertips now which would simply be a laptop and, of course, the BlackBerries. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will close debate at that time.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Next on my list is Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to support the motion because it’s for a trial session only and there are other motions here that I will speak to later in regard to laptop usage in committee meetings. My own view on this is because the advent of technology and the BlackBerry-type devices in Committee of the Whole can and should be used by Members to receive e-mails and maybe keep us in the House instead of going back to our offices to check our e-mail. To me, that’s the most important aspect of it. If it ever did come down to a vote, and I think it’s something we should try and I will support the Rules committee on the trial run on laptops, but I don’t think permanently that laptops have any place in the House itself. I could be convinced otherwise about committee meetings, but I guess I am old fashioned in the sense that we are here to work, to speak on behalf of the people we represent, and distractions are distractions whether they are newspapers or computers or whatever. The less amount of distractions we have, the better.

Again, I am going to support the motion, but in the long run, I think with BlackBerries now….Laptops in here is a non-starter for me. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Next on my list is Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much there, Mr. Chair. I, too, will be voting in favour of this motion. I think the key thing for the writing of the motion is to evaluate how it works. Much has been said that other jurisdictions allow it and the time that we are looking at is not in the formal sitting of the House. It’s during Committee of the Whole, which is considered as the Lower House in our Assembly

and a little bit more informal. We can loosen our ties, sit without our jackets, it’s not really that formal. So it goes with the communication devices as well, because I, for one, often find that I write a lot of my letters and memos while other Members are addressing their concerns in Committee of the Whole. I feel that a laptop would be just doing the same thing. I think the key thing is we should at least evaluate it and assess how it works during this winter session and that’s why I will be supporting this motion. Thank you.