Thank you, Madam Chair. I do have some opening remarks. I am here to present Bill 10, Temporary Variation of Statutory Time Periods (COVID-19 Pandemic Measures) Act. This bill authorizes the Commissioner and Executive Council to make orders to be registered as regulations that would result in the temporary variation of a date, deadline, or time period set out in the act.

We have heard, during the course of this sitting, that, in March, the Government of the Northwest Territories had to mobilize quickly to take measures required to respond to the immediate requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic, including transitioning the vast majority of employees to working from home; redeploying employees to areas of high need; and focusing government efforts on the essential areas of service.

In April, it became obvious that public bodies, councils, and other organizations in the Northwest Territories were having difficulty, or would soon be having difficulty, meeting statutory deadlines due to necessary changes in their operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Emergency Management Act, or EMA, allows for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to make orders relating to a list of items to address various immediate aspects of an emergency situation, but, as set out presently, there was a concern that the authority in that act would not support orders that would address impacts to usual business operations.

The Department of Justice examined several possibilities for addressing the issues identified and had discussions with other departments to consider the best approach to addressing the concerns that were raised to them about compliance with statutory timelines. It was decided that a streamlined bill, focusing exclusively on temporarily varying dates, time periods, and deadlines, would be a prudent approach to addressing this issue.

The proposed bill does not amend any statutes. It enables orders to be made that would have the effect of temporarily amending timelines set out in other statutes. It allows orders to have a retroactive effect as far as March 24, 2020, which was the date that the state of emergency was declared under the EMA. Any temporary variation of a statute will remain in effect for a maximum of six months from now.

I would like to thank Members for expediting the review of this bill. Their cooperation was needed to have this bill considered here at this sitting. The input of Members has resulted in adjustments to the bill before introduction, to clarify its purpose and to limit its application. This bill is a novel approach to a novel problem, and I commend Members for working together to see it through.

That concludes my opening remarks, Madam Chair. I would be happy to answer any questions the Members might have.