Committee, I’ll get you to return to page 71. Transportation, total infrastructure investments, $111.929 million. Does committee agree?

Does committee agree that consideration of the Transportation capital budget is concluded?

Thank you, committee. I’d like to thank the Minister here for us today. I’d like to thank Deputy Minister Neudorf for joining us. If I can get the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort our witness out of the House.

Does committee agree that consideration of Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016, is also concluded? Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. We’re just going to circulate the motion. The motion is in order. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Committee, Tabled Document 115-17(5) will be reported and recommended as ready for consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.

As agreed upon earlier, we will now turn to Bill 33, An Act to Amend the Elections and Plebiscite Act, No. 2, and we’ll go to the sponsor of the bill, deputy

chair of Caucus, Mr. Moses, to see if he has any opening remarks.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I have some opening remarks. On behalf of the Board of Management of the Legislative Assembly, I’m pleased to present Bill 33, An Act to Amend the Elections and Plebiscites Act, No. 2.

This bill includes a number of changes to our elections legislation that were recommended by the Chief Electoral Officer and the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures following their respective reports on the 2011 General Election.

These changes will result in: • a new advanced voting opportunity for smaller

communities;

• changes to the vouching rules, so that a voter

can vouch for more than one elector and so that candidates cannot vouch for electors;

• a limit of $1,500 in total anonymous

contributions;

• greater clarity about the rules on election

advertising and campaign finance.

The bill will also strengthen the integrity of our electoral process by allowing deputy returning officers to be appointed and trained before an election as well as by granting new investigative powers to the Chief Electoral Officer.

Those are my opening comments on Bill 33. I welcome any comments or questions Members may have.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Do you have any witnesses you’d like to bring into the Chamber today?

Yes, I do.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. Sergeant-at-Arms, if you could please escort our witnesses into the Chamber.

Mr. Moses, if you’d be kind enough to introduce your witnesses to the House.

Thank you. I have our Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. David Brock; and from the Department of Justice, Mr. Ken Chutskoff.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Gentlemen, welcome to the Chamber this evening. Committee, we’ll go to general comments. General comments, Bill 33. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to use this opportunity to maybe have our very sturdy Member over there provide some detail on what campaign advertising is. I want to get some detail on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. For that, I’ll go to our Chief Electoral Officer Mr. David Brock.

Order! Thank you, Mr. Moses. Mr. Brock.

Thank you, Mr. Brock. Mr. Hawkins.

I want to thank Member Moses for his very ministerial technique of dealing with that.

---Laughter

It’s funny no one on the Cabinet side is laughing. The only other thing that I think, I think pretty much it’s self-explanatory on some of the changes that folks who do read this very closely will probably figure out. Maybe we could get Mr. Moses, or if he would again use his technique to help us find out why we’re repealing some of the prohibitions on broadcasting. I think that a bit of a detailed answer on that would probably help the general public. It’s probably the only area that I show interest, so I’m really looking forward to Mr. Moses’ answer on this question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. We’ll actually go to Mr. Brock for that response. Mr. Brock.