Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker,

What we Heard

Committee held a public engagement period from July 20 to August 20, 2021, and a virtual public hearing on September 9, 2021.

Committee received written submissions and public presentations from Aurora College, the City of Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories Metis Nation, and the Tlicho government.

The themes brought forward reflect the composition and appointment of the Board of Governors and the two councils, regional representation, implementation of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), academic independence, and requests for direct co-drafting of legislation with Indigenous governments.

Board of Governors

Committee heard disappointment about Bill 30 proposing to reinstate the previously abolished Board of Governors without regional representation and two advisory councils instead. Witnesses requested to change the governance model to allow for regional representation in the composition of the Board of Governors by working together with the NWT's Indigenous governments. The Tlicho government stated that not guaranteeing continued regional representation in the governance of the college would be a mindset of colonialism and not align with UNDRIP Article 19.

Committee heard concerns that the proposed composition of the Board of Governors could result in an underrepresentation of Indigenous people. The NWT Metis Nation asked to be directly represented on the Board of Governors, to be involved in all decisions, and requested that each recognized Indigenous government have a seat on the board; otherwise, the model would not be consistent with UNDRIP Article 14.

The City of Yellowknife encouraged the development of criteria that would ensure the Board of Governors is representative of the ethnicities, genders, geographic regions and perspectives in the NWT. Aurora College welcomed the move away from a regional representation model to a competency-based board and the established minimum requirement for three Indigenous board members.

Residency Requirement For Board Members

The concern was raised that the college may miss out on contributions from the broader Canadian and international academic world if a strict residency requirement exists. The potential negative impact on a future university could include reducing the marketability of the university and creating a possible barrier to appointing suited candidates.

Academic Council

Committee heard the concern that the academic council may hold no weight in the decision-making because no qualification requirements are determined in Bill 30. Any community member may fill roles on the council. The City of Yellowknife made the recommendation to require that council members have post-secondary organizational experience in addition to academic expertise.

Indigenous Knowledge Holders Council

Several witnesses indicated that the selection process of Indigenous Knowledge Holders Council members should have support from the Indigenous community. Committee heard concerns that a mechanism for representative Indigenous institutions to be involved in selecting members to the Indigenous Knowledge Holders Council is lacking. The Tlicho government notes that such mechanism is necessary to make the Act consistent with UNDRIP Article 19, and states further that "it is critical to Tlicho government that any persons designated as holding Indigenous knowledge be recognized as such by their communities, and who have support and recognition behind them from their communities as they take up such an important responsibility."

Chair And Vice-Chair

Witnesses voiced concerns that changing the power from the board to the Minister to designate a chair and a vice-chair would not reflect the intention to make the college more arm's length but possibly reverses it.

Mandate

Committee heard the concern that the Minister's power to approve the board's mandate might diminish the proposed rule that forbids the Minister to interfere with the Aurora College policies. It was recommended that the legal framework reinforce academic independence.

I would like to now turn this over to my colleague from Monfwi, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.