This is page numbers 83 – 126 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was electoral.

Topics

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the Minister for that response. I'm glad to see this is a timing error. It's important we follow through where financial authority is granted and where it flows from. My further question is: how much money is currently in the MTS revolving fund? Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Minister.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, because it is brand new, we haven't done a full accounting on it yet, so as far as the actual what's in there, we'd have to pull that information together and share it with committee. Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So my recollection is that the maximum amount of the fund is $35 million. Does the Minister believe that this will be sufficient and the current inflow of revenue is sufficient to fund future infrastructure projects, or will we ever be in the situation where we'll require additional funding from general revenue to pay for MTS operations or infrastructure? Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you. Minister McLeod.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we would like to think that, or we "believe" is probably a better word to use, that the MTS does well and there are profits realized at the end of the year. If there are any infrastructure investments that need to be made, we're quite confident that we should have the money in the account to cover them. If not, then we will have to cross that, when we get to it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I suppose that is a conversation as if and when it happens. I do know that discussion over the future of MTS is still a conversation that we have yet to have, but it's not the right place to have it here. All I will say is that I thank the Minister for clarifying this budget line item and taking the necessary steps to remove it and pay for the Syncrolift facility from the revolving fund, which is appropriate based on the establishment of that revolving fund. Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Any response from the Minister?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

No, we'll take that as a comment, Mr. Chair, and we'll continue to keep the committee updated as we develop further into the operations of MTS. Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Minister. Anything further? Seeing nothing, 2018-2019 Supplementary Estimate No. 1 (Infrastructure Expenditures), Infrastructure, capital investment expenditures, programs and services not previously authorized, negative $400,000. Does committee agree?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

2018-2019 Supplementary Estimate No. 1 (Infrastructure Expenditures), Infrastructure, capital investment expenditures, total department not previously authorized, negative $400,000. Does committee agree?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you. Does committee agree that this concludes our consideration of Tabled Document 3-18(3)?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, committee. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 3-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2018-2019 be now concluded and that Tabled Document 3-18(3) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session in the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

The motion is carried. Thank you, committee. Sergeant-at-Arms, you may escort the witnesses from the Chamber. Before we consider the committee report, I'll call a five-minute recess. Thank you, committee.

---SHORT RECESS

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

I will now call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Committee Report 1-18(3), Report on the Review of the Chief Electoral Officer's Report on the Administration of the 2015 Territorial General Election, Supplementary Recommendations and the White Paper on the Independence and Accountability of Election Administration in the Northwest Territories.

I will go to the chair of the committee responsible for the report, the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures, for any opening comments. Mr. O'Reilly.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. First off, I would like to acknowledge the hard work of my fellow committee members, the Member for Thebacha, the Member for Yellowknife Centre, the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, and the Member for Nahendeh. We all worked very hard to come up with this report. I also want to thank the Chief Electoral Officer herself. She provided utmost cooperation to the committee, answered our questions, she appeared at two public hearings. She came up with some very thoughtful, thorough, and comprehensive recommendations for us to consider.

We had three different reports that we looked at and we decided that we would try to take a coordinated approach in responding to over 107 recommendations. Mr. Chair, I also wish to acknowledge and thank members of the public who made submissions. I mentioned how we had two public hearings; one on September 9, 2016, and the other on June 12, 2017. So what I want to leave my colleagues with is that there was a lot of thought and work that went into this report. That's not to say that we don't welcome debate and discussion and questions about it, but I do want to acknowledge the work of my colleagues, the public, and the Chief Electoral Officer in this important report.

The last thing I wish to mention, Mr. Chair, is that there is some urgency to move forward on this because there are a set of specific changes that are recommended to the Elections and Plebiscites Act, and for us to get those changes made in time for the next election, we need to deal with this report as soon as we can. As I understand it, the next steps would be, if these recommendations are accepted through the form of a number of motions, those would form drafting instructions and the board of management would go ahead and start to do that work. In any event, lots of work has gone into this report, and I look forward to debate and discussion about it, around the report today. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Just to let everyone know what we're going to do, there are 15 recommendations in this report. After I open the floor to general comments, each recommendation will be treated as a motion, which Mr. O'Reilly will move. Are there any general comments on this report from committee? Mr. Vanthuyne.

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and similar to my colleague who just spoke, I, too, want to take an opportunity to really thank the committee for its further report, but, more importantly, for the work that they undertook in reviewing recommendations, the consolidated recommendations. They were extensive. I again would have to commend the Chief Electoral Officer for doing that work. As a candidate in the previous election, certainly there were times in which I found that there was room for improvement in the process, whether it was to do with the act itself or whether it was to do with measures that come from the act.

In order to overcome this big challenge that we face as it relates to encouraging voters to turn out and vote, that a number of these recommendations certainly have to be enacted, and enacted sooner rather than later. As the Chair spoke of, we are two years into a term. It is not long before the Chief Electoral Officer has to start preparing for the next upcoming election. They will require a number of these changes to be brought forward to better support our form of democracy when it comes to an election, and to be able to promote, and encourage a higher degree of voter turnout because that is ultimately what this is about.

Modernizing and taking advantage of innovation are a couple of the things that we also have to take advantage of, and I am hoping that these recommendations will play a part in that. Those are just some of my general comments, and I look forward to sharing my perspective on some of the recommendations as we go forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.