Does the committee agree?

Agreed. Thank you. I’ll ask Mr. Blake to take the witness table and have the Sergeant-at-Arms escort his witnesses into the Chamber.

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

Madam Chair, to my left I have Ian Rennie, legislative counsel, Department of Justice. On my right, my right-hand man, Tim Mercer, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. General comments on Bill 3. Detail?

Thank you. Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Human Rights Act. Clause 1.

---Clauses 1 to 3 inclusive approved

Thank you. The bill as a whole?

Does the committee agree that Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Human Rights Act, is now ready for third reading?

Thank you, committee. Bill 3 is now deemed ready for third reading. I’d like to thank Member Blake and his witnesses for their attendance here today, and I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort them out of the Chamber.

Committee, if I could turn your attention now, please, to Committee Report 1-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010-2011 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. I will now go to the chairman of the Government Operations committee for any opening comments he may have. Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Madam Chair. On Thursday, May 31, 2012, the Standing Committee on Government Operations presented its Report on

the Review of the Northwest Territories Information and Privacy Commissioner’s 2010-2011 Annual Report. The report, which includes six recommendations, was read into the record by members of the committee and a motion was passed and moved to report into Committee of the Whole. The committee thanks Ms. Elaine Keenan Bengts for the report and for her appearance before the committee on February 14, 2012.

The standing committee is seriously concerned by the government’s lack of action on the recommendations from the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the previous standing committees for improving access to information and protection of privacy in the Northwest Territories. The committee prioritized several of these recommendations and discussions with the Commissioner and is pleased to bring them forward to Committee of the Whole. The committee looks forward to real progress in the field of access to information and protection of privacy over the course of the 17th Assembly. Thank you, Madam

Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Do any committee members have any comments with respect to the committee report on the review of the annual report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner? Any general comments? Seeing none, I will go to Mr. Nadli for the committee’s motions for the recommendations on the report. Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories, in consultation with stakeholders, implement access and privacy legislation for municipalities and bring forward a bill during the first two years of this Assembly. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The motion is in order. To the motion. I’ll just allow a couple of minutes for the motion to be distributed. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I did want to speak to this motion. I wanted to particularly say that this was an issue for the committee report in the 16th Assembly and it has come forward from the

Information and Privacy Commissioner again. It’s an issue that has been talked about for many years. Municipalities are on board in support of setting up some legislation with regard to access and privacy legislation for municipalities. I believe there’s a resolution on the books for the NWT Association of Communities, which has been there for several years, I think.

So I think that to date, the government has been ignoring the recommendations of the Information and Privacy Commissioner and I think it’s necessary that we as an Assembly put some emphasis behind this particular legislation.

I know that there are difficulties with our municipalities. Some of them don’t have the capacity to do a huge amount of ATIPP requests, but I think we need to enact legislation that considers the capacity of our municipalities and our communities, and I think we need to provide the access to information to people that reside in our communities.

A number of the complaints that were received by the Information and Privacy Commissioner did relate to bodies other than the Government of the Northwest Territories. Some of them did relate to municipalities, and it’s time that we put the emphasis on this particular request of the Information and Privacy Commissioner that it deserves. I am fully in support of this motion and I would encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favour of it as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. General comments. To the motion.

Question is being called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Next motion, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories complete work on the new Health Information Act, taking into account consultations with the Information and Privacy Commissioner over the principle of patient control and patient information and bring forward a bill within the first two years of the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question is being called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Mr. Nadli.