Thank you for the opportunity to speak to Bill 13, Devolution Measures Act. The passage of this legislation is one more step towards implementing the Northwest Territories Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement.
The Devolution Measures Act makes consequential amendments to almost two dozen territorial statutes in order to give effect to the Devolution Agreement and to address ambiguities or gaps that could arise from legislative initiatives required for its implementation.
The Devolution Measures Act amends several territorial statutes to reflect variations between the current Northwest Territories Act and the proposed new version contained in Bill C-15, the Northwest Territories Devolution Act. In particular, the Devolution Measures Act applies the more modern terminology in the proposed Northwest Territories Act, and updates cross-references to that proposed statute in territorial legislation. In addition, the Devolution Measures Act imports a provision from the current Northwest Territories Act respecting the detention of prisoners, and inserts it into the territorial Corrections Act to ensure against a legislative gap.
The Devolution Measures Act also updates cross-references in several existing territorial statutes to federal legislation that is being mirrored in implementing the Devolution Agreement, and the bill modifies the Financial Administration Act to integrate the public bodies continued by the mirroring legislation.
Finally, the Devolution Measures Act makes legislative amendments that have been identified as being legally necessary to implement the Devolution Agreement.
While the Devolution Measures Act focuses only on territorial statutes, similar consequential amendments are required in respect of a variety of territorial regulations, and these amendments are being made by the appropriate regulation-making authorities in the usual manner.
The parties to the Devolution Agreement entered into a Protocol for Review of Devolution Legislation. Under this protocol, all parties have had the opportunity to review and comment on this legislation before it was introduced in the Legislative Assembly.
I would be pleased to answer any questions Members may have. Thank you.