Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am here today to present Bill 15, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2020. The purpose of Bill 15 is to amend various statutes of the Northwest Territories for which minor changes are proposed or errors or inconsistencies have been identified. Each amendment included in the bill had to meet the following criteria:
- it must not be controversial;
- it must not involve the spending of public funds;
- it must not prejudicially affect rights;
- it must not create a new offence or subject a new class of persons to an existing offence.
Departments responsible for the various statutes being amended have reviewed and approved the changes. The amendments proposed in Bill 15 are minor, uncontroversial, or non-substantive and many consist of technical corrections to a statute. The amendments are of such a nature that the preparation and legislative consideration of individual bills to correct each statute would be time-consuming for the government and the Legislative Assembly.
I would be pleased to answer any questions Members may have regarding the bill. I have a witness I would like to bring in. Thank you, Mr. Chair.