Bill 12, Securities Transfer Act, has had first reading.

---Carried

The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Bill 13, An Act to Amend the Commissioner’s Land Act, has had first reading.

---Carried

The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 14, an Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 14, an Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act, has had first reading.

---Carried

Item 19, second reading of bills. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Boot Lake, that Bill 10, Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures) 2009-2010, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes the Government of the Northwest Territories to make operation expenditures for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Thank you.

Bill 10, Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures) 2009-2010, has been read for the second time.

---Carried

The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 11, An Act to Amend the Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures) 2009-2010, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the schedule to the Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures) 2009-2010 to ensure that the departmental references parallel those set out in the schedule to the Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures) 2009-2010. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 11, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures) 2009-2010, has been read for the second time.

---Carried

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 7-16(3), Ministerial Benefits Policy; Bill 4, Public Library Act; Bill 5, Professional Corporations Act; Bill 7, An Act

to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act; and Bill 9, Northern Employees Benefits Services Pension Plan Protection Act, with Mr. Krutko in the chair

I call the Committee of the Whole to order. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 7-16(3), Bills 4, 5, 7 and 9. What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today we would like to deal with Bills 4 and 7. We put those two together because they are both under the preview of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, so Bills 4 and 7 today. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Does the committee agree?

With that, we will take a short break and we will begin with Bill 4.

---SHORT RECESS.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. Prior to the break we agreed to begin with Bill 4 and then Bill 7. At this time I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the bill, Mr. Lafferty, if he would like to introduce the bill. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to introduce Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act. That’s the first one, right? The purpose of...Sorry. I got the wrong one.

I am pleased to introduce Bill 4, Public Library Act. The purpose of this legislation is to provide a modern statutory framework governing the establishment and use of public libraries in the Northwest Territories and to repeal the Library Act.

The Library Act was originally enacted in 1966 and has never been amended to reflect changes in how public library services in the Northwest Territories are administered. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment initiated a review of the Library Act in 2007 and released a consultation paper entitled Proposed Amendments to the Library Act: A Consultation Paper. There were a number of responses to the paper from different stakeholders in the library community, including two municipalities, GNWT and Aurora College library staff, and the NWT Library Association. The general

consensus from the stakeholders was that they supported the legislative changes proposed in the consultation paper.

This bill provides an updated regulatory framework from which the operation of public libraries in the Northwest Territories will be supported. In particular, this bill provides for:

a) the ability of the Minister to designate a library

as a public library and enter into agreements with local authorities to support the operation of public libraries;

b) the rights of library users, including the right to

use specified library materials and resources without payment of a fee;

c) the powers of library authorities to set and

enforce rules for use of the library and its materials; and,

d) to repeal of the Library Act.

We trust that the members of the committee will agree that the proposed bill represents a significant improvement in the manner in which public libraries are regulated in the Northwest Territories. We would be pleased to answer any questions the Members may have.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. At this time I would like to ask the chair of the Standing Committee on Social Programs, which reviewed the bill, to make its comments. Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Social Programs conducted its public review of Bill 4, Public Library Act, on January 15th , 2009. The committee thanks the

Minister and his staff for presenting the bill. The bill repeals the current Library Act and introduces a new modernized act to govern the establishment and operation of Northwest Territories libraries, as well as setting out the powers of the library authorities.

A non-substantive amendment was made to the bill by committee motion and with the concurrence of the Minister. Following the committee’s review, the motion was carried to report Bill 4, Public Library Act, to the Assembly as ready for Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted.

This concludes the committee’s opening comments on Bill 4. Individual Members may have additional questions or comments as we proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. At this time I would like to ask the Minister if he would like to bring in any witnesses. Mr. Lafferty.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Is committee agreed the Minister can bring in his witnesses?

Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in.

For the record, Mr. Lafferty, could you introduce your witnesses?

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. To my left I have deputy minister Dan Daniels, Education, Culture and Employment; Blair Barbour, legislative policy advisor; and Lana Birch, legislative counsel.