Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am here to present Bill 28, Interpretation Act.
I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Social Development for their review of this bill and for the constructive feedback they provided. A motion was made in Committee, and I am pleased that the bill was improved as a result.
The current Interpretation Act finds its origins in the Revised Ordinances of the Northwest Territories of 1888, and although minor changes have been made to the act over time, it has not been significantly modernized from its original iteration. Bill 28 will repeal and replace the current act with a more accurate and accessible version. The new act will include most, but not all, of the components of the Uniform Law Conference of Canada’s model Uniform Interpretation Act, which was adopted at their 2015 annual meeting.
More specifically, the bill will make changes that:
• Update existing standard provisions that regulate aspects of the operation of all enactments;
• Update existing definitions of commonly used words and terms in legislation;
• Revise existing provisions that identify which elements in a legislative document are to be considered as part of the statutes for purposes of interpretation;
• Add a new provision that incorporates and clarifies the Carltona doctrine;
• Remove outdated provisions;
• Improve the structure of the act by reorganizing provisions; and
• Improve the readability of the act.
These and other changes provided for in the bill will ensure that the Interpretation Act meets its purpose of promoting consistency and conciseness in the form and language of legislation in the Northwest Territories.
I would be happy to answer any questions that Members have regarding Bill 28.