Marci Cho, Mr. Speaker.

Current Engagement Activities

Information about on-going business of the Legislative Assembly and its committees is available on the Legislative Assembly’s website. It currently includes a brief description of the purpose and role of committees in our consensus system of government. A list of committees and their memberships is posted, as well as each committee’s terms of reference. Links to committee reports are also provided.

The Legislative Assembly and its committees regularly use a variety of tools to engage the public and disseminate information including social media, our in-house television broadcasting system, and radio rebroadcasts of session proceedings. Town halls, public meetings, and requests for comments from members of the public have been limited to specific reports and legislative initiatives, yet provide a foundation on which to build.

Observations from Other Jurisdictions

The committee compared our Assembly’s public information and engagement practices with those of legislatures in Canada, the Commonwealth, and municipal governments. For the purposes of this cross-jurisdictional scan, public engagement is defined as a range of activities whose primary function is both to raise public awareness of the legislature and facilitate a two-way flow of information, ideas and views, requiring both listening and interaction on the part of both the institution and the citizen.

Other governments, public engagement programs, and expected results vary widely. Some jurisdictions focus on informing and educating the public while others go further, seeking consultation and collaboration. The committee seeks to develop procedures to best suit the Northwest Territories and have taken the following current and potential practices under consideration.

● Information provision: Educational and training materials, website presence;

● Public access: Visitor services, tours, exhibits;

● Education: On-site/off-site activities and resources for teachers, students, and the general public;

● Outreach: Informational workshops, (such as Ledge Talks, the Mace Tour, Caucus retreats, public hearings, town halls, and Legislative Assembly Television-LATV);

● Facilitation: Platforms to engage the public, including online forums;

● Media: Promotional and partnership initiatives with print, broadcasting and social media platforms;

● Institutional structure: Leadership, resourcing, and models for delivering public engagement strategies.

The internet has become a primary means of communicating with the public; committee websites and online content are well-established in most parliamentary jurisdictions. The committee also recognizes that connectivity remains an issue in some NWT communities, as is proficiency with the internet among elders.

As the committee continues to develop options for our standing committees, lessons on emerging best practices have been drawn from diverse jurisdictions, including Scotland, Wales, the Canadian House of Commons, and the City of Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker. I would now like to hand off the reading to the Member from Nahendeh. Marci cho.