Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Public Engagement

The committee held public meetings in Fort Smith, Yellowknife, and Inuvik. At each public meeting, a presentation was made by committee staff outlining the proposed changes to Bill 56, and the contents of the Code of Conduct. Committee also publicly released a briefing note on Bill 56 and the Code of Conduct to make it easier for members of the public to review the material.

A number of individuals and organizations made submissions to the committee, either in person or via written submissions. Written submissions are attached as Appendix A.

Committee received comments from the following:

• Alternatives North,
• Arlene Hache,
• Graham White, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto,
• Gwich'in Tribal Council,
• Keith Sulzer,
• Mark Bogan,
• OpenNWT, and
• Status of Women Council for the Northwest Territories.

The committee heard general support from presenters, and received several recommendations for improvement. The committee thanks every individual and organization who attended these meetings to share their views on Bill 56 and the Code of Conduct.

A clause-by-clause review of Bill 56 was held on Wednesday August 14, 2019. At the clause-by-clause review, 17 motions were passed, making amendments to the Bill as described in the next section. A copy of all of committee's motions is attached as Appendix B.

What We Heard on Bill 56

Transition Periods

There were concerns that the transition period or "cooling-off" period for former Members was too short, and it was recommended the transition period for Regular Members be increased to one year for one term in office, and two years for Members who served as a Minister or Speaker in the 12 months prior to them ceasing to be a Member.

Committee considered these submissions carefully but chose not to recommend these changes. During the transition period, a Member who served as Speaker, Premier, or Minister in the 12 months before the dissolution of the Assembly or who served three or more terms as a Regular Member, cannot accept or hold a contract, employment, or an appointment from the GNWT or an organization in which they had significant official dealings with in the 12 months prior to them ceasing to be a Member.

Currently, the transition period for Regular Members is four months for each term in office, to a maximum of 12 months. Committee was concerned a longer transition period, particularly for Regular Members, would act as a barrier to people standing for election as MLA. It was noted that Regular Members do not play a direct decision-making role in day-to-day government functions, and, as such, a longer transition period was not necessary. Committee amended Bill 56 to make the transition period for Regular Members four months, regardless of the number of terms served, to remove a potential barrier to choosing to run for MLA, ensuring people do not face barriers to future employment in a public role.

Integrity Commissioner

Bill 56 changes the title of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner ("the Commissioner") to the Integrity Commissioner. The committee did hear some questions on the need for this name change. Committee noted that this recommendation came from the Commissioner and is consistent with the title used in Ontario and Nunavut. The committee concurred with the Commissioner's suggestion.

Mr. Speaker, I would now like to turn the reading over to the honourable Member for Thebacha. Thank you.