Does committee agree?

Okay, with that, we’ll take a short break.

---SHORT RECESS

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. Prior to break, we agreed to deal with Bill 5, Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Act. At this time, I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the bill if he will be making any opening comments. Minister of Education.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to introduce Bill 5, Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Act. The purpose of this legislation is to provide a modern statutory framework governing the apprenticeship and occupation certification programs in the Northwest Territories, and to repeal the existing Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Act.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment commissioned a review of the apprenticeship, trade and occupations certification system in 2006 with a view to identifying those aspects of its programs that need to be revised to promote apprenticeship and occupations

certification in the Northwest Territories. The program review resulted in recommendations respecting changes to the act to strengthen the apprenticeship and occupation certification programs offered by the department.

This bill provides an updated regulatory framework from which the administration of the Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Program in the Northwest Territories will be supported. The bill is substantively similar to the existing act, but does:

a) restructure

and

clarify substantive provisions

so that the legislation is easier to use and read than the existing act;

b) rename the statutory officer “Supervisor” as

“Director,” provide for the director to delegate powers or duties under the act, and clarify the wording respecting the director’s duties and powers;

c) clarify the composition of the Apprenticeship,

Trades and Occupations Certification Board and change the term of board appointments from two years to a term of up to three years;

d) expand the regulation-making authority for

occupations certification;

e) increase the maximum fine for failing to comply

with the act from $500 to $2,000;

f) replace provisions dealing with local

apprenticeship advisory committees with a broader provision allowing for the appointment of committees that can provide advice to the director on both apprenticeship and occupations certification matters;

g) replace a provision requiring parties to a

proposed apprenticeship contract to provide information required by the supervisor with a regulation-making authority that would deal with requirements within the Apprenticeship or Occupations Certification Program to provide specified information when required by the director; and

h) repeal

the

existing

Apprenticeship, Trade and

Occupations Certification Act.

I trust that the members of the committee will agree that the proposed bill represents a significant improvement in the manner in which the apprenticeship, trade and occupations certification programs are regulated in the Northwest Territories.

I would be pleased to answer any questions the Members may have.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. At this time I would like to ask the standing committee that reviewed the bill in they have any comments. Mr. Tom Beaulieu, chair of Social Programs. Mr Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee on Social

Programs conducted its public review of Bill 5 on Monday, May 17, 2010, in Yellowknife. Committee members thank the Minister and his staff for presenting the bill. Committee also heard a presentation by Mr. Manual George regarding Bill 5 and would like to thank him for taking time to present his thoughtful comments.

The bill repeals and replaces the Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certificate Act. It provides a framework for certification of apprentices in designated trades and trainees in designated occupations.

Following committee’s review, a motion was carried to report Bill 5 to the Legislative Assembly as ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Committee did identify a minor typographical error in Bill 5 and Mr. Bromley, a member of Social Programs committee, will be introducing a motion at the appropriate time to correct the error.

This concludes committee’s opening comments on Bill 5. Individual Members may have additional questions or comments as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Does committee agree the Minister bring in his witnesses?

Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in.

Mr. Minister, for the record, could you introduce your witnesses?

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I have with me to my left Mr. Dan Daniels, the deputy minister of Education, Culture and Employment; and also Blair Barbour, legislative policy advisor, to my right; and Ian Rennie to my far right, legislative counsel. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Welcome, witnesses. General comments in regards to Bill 5. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t sit on the Social Programs committee so I haven’t had very extensive knowledge of what this repeal and revision specifically pertains to. One thing I would like to ask of the Minister, and I guess this is a general comment but I will explain a situation related to apprenticeships that I would like to get some clarification on and then I guess the Minister can tell me if this has anything to do with the consideration that is before the House now and was before the Standing Committee on Social Programs.

Mr. Chairman, not every formal training session for the various apprenticeships is available in the Northwest Territories thus it requires people to seek some of their theory training outside of the Northwest Territories in neighbouring jurisdictions; I would suggest most often Alberta. I would like to know, I guess, if any thought had been given to streamlining the processes between Alberta’s legislation on apprenticeships and what the Northwest Territories has in place.

One area where it is different, I might suggest, would be in how the hours are calculated and accumulated and when those hours of work need to take place between the various years of apprenticeship. It is my understanding that in the Northwest Territories, the hours accumulated that go towards the certification in a trade can be accumulated, for lack of a better word, they don’t have to be at a time... Okay, if you need X number of hours between year one and year two, that is how it would be in Alberta, but in the Northwest Territories apparently you could accumulate a lot of hours that could then be allocated to various years of the apprenticeship training. That has an impact on apprentices in the Northwest Territories. Just that difference and I am sure there are other differences as well.

I guess my question to the Minister and his staff is whether or not, though any of those kinds of efficiencies or compatibilities with a neighbouring jurisdiction where a lot of NWT residents receive their certification training, whether or not any of those things were considered. Thank you, Mr. Chairman

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I will refer that question to my deputy since we are getting into more detail of operations of apprenticeships. At the same time, we do have a good working relationship with the Alberta board. Dan can elaborate more on the process as well. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Deputy minister, Mr. Daniels.

Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Chairman, so that whole issue of specific number of hours, that would be worked in a year in order to advance to the next level within the apprenticeship training is not something that would be outlined in legislation. It is something that more might be in policy or regulation. Would that be correct? Thank you.

Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, my understanding is that it is part of the regulation. Mahsi.

Mr. Chairman, that is probably another matter that could be taken up at a different time and in a different venue, but I can tell you that the differences between what is required in Alberta where many of the apprentices from the Northwest Territories, sometimes there is an opportunity for apprentices to continue to work in Alberta while they are taking their training down there because there is only a few short months between theory sessions at NAIT or something like that and the way that their hours are accounted for is different and does create an issue. But I will say that this is probably not the time or the venue for that discussion. I will find another opportunity to discuss that. Thank you.