This is page numbers 4607 - 4634 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd 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 know.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to consider Committee Report 32-19(2), Report on the Review of the Chief Electoral Officer's Auxiliary Report: Issues Arising from the 2019 Territorial Election. Mahsi, Madam Presidente.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Does committee agree? Thank you, committee. We'll take a short recess and resume item.

---SHORT RECESS

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

I now call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we've agreed to consider Committee Report 32-19(2), Report on the Chief Electoral Officer's Auxiliary Report: Issues Arising from the 2019 Territorial Election. I will go to the deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures for any opening comments. Member for Hay River South.

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Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Elections and Plebiscites Act requires the Chief Electoral Officer ("CEO"), to present a report on the administration of the election within six months of the election. The Speaker tabled the Chief Electoral Officer's Report on the administration of the 2019 territorial general election on May 28, 2020. It was referred to this committee for review.

The committee completed its review and presented Committee Report 9-19(2) to the Assembly on February 23rd, 2021. In that report, the committee made 19 recommendations. All the recommendations were adopted by the Assembly on March 30th, 2021.

Three of those recommendations directed the CEO to conduct additional research and to report back to the Legislative Assembly within six months.

On March 29th, 2022, the Speaker tabled the Auxiliary Report of the Chief Electoral Officer: Issues Arising from the 2019 General Election. This report responded to the additional research requests and included one further recommendation following the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh by-election.

The CEO raised additional issues in a letter to the Speaker dated July 25th, 2022, which the committee considered and has made the eight recommendations contained in this report.

If the recommendations are adopted by the House today, they will be considered by the Board of Management who will use them to draft amendments to the Elections and Plebiscites Act. Any changes to legislation will be brought back to the Assembly for consideration hopefully later this sitting.

The committee thanks the CEO for meeting with committee to discuss these additional issues. Other Members may wish to speak further to the report. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. I will now open the floor to general comments on the Committee Report 32-19(2). Do any Members have any general comments? Seeing none, Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move that this Committee recommends that Elections NWT trial a vote-anywhere model during advance voting in the offices of the returning officers; and further, that any necessary legislative amendments that are required to allow such a model be made. Thank you, Madam Chair.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion? Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Yes, thanks, Madam Chair. Yes, I guess I do want to thank the Chief Electoral Officer for returning to the rules and procedures committee with some research that had been requested on a few matters. So I want to publicly thank the CEO for his diligence in doing that work. And this is really about trying to increase and improve voting opportunities for all residents of the NWT so that they could vote anywhere in the Northwest Territories at any of the returning offices. And, you know, I did this federally. I was in Winnipeg visiting one of our kids and got to go and vote there for the federal election in the Northwest Territories. And this will enable more people to vote. And trialing this, I think is a great idea. So I support it. Thank you, Madam Chair.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. To the motion?

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this Committee recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to remove the requirement to publish a candidate's or official agent's residential address under sections 96 and 97 and to substitute community of residence. Thank you, Madam Chair.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. The motion is in order. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to also express thank you to the committee for doing this work and the Chief Electoral Officer. I do believe that this recommendation has come out of an issue I raised when I was first elected as a single woman living alone. It was concerning to me to come across my address published on a telephone pole near my house and then later just being able to Google it and find it. So I raised this concern to my colleagues, and they brought this forward to the committee and the Chief Electoral Officer and I just want to say thank you for that. I think it's a really important one, especially given some of the online harassment and such that I've raised in these sessions. Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. To the motion? Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Committee had this issue raised by, I think, at least a couple of parties. I want to thank the Member from Great Slave for bringing it forward. Yes, most other jurisdictions in Canada do not publish the addresses of candidates, their official agents, or donors. So we need to change that, I think, to protect people's privacy, and that's what this is aimed at, and I support it. Thanks, Madam Chair.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. To the motion?

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to allow Elections NWT to create a register of future electors, allowing youth aged 16 and 17 years old to register with the same information as permitted under section 54(2) of the act. Thank you, Madam Chair.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion? Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. Essentially, this just allows 16 and 17-year-olds to register and then we can follow them. Often when they go to university, we lose those as electors. And it's good for Elections NWT to take this work and get people registered when they're in high school so that when they turn 18 they vote. But this is really a half measure, Madam Chair. And really what this motion should read is that we lower the voting age to 16. If you vote when you're 16, you are far more likely to vote for the rest of your life. If the first time you vote is 18, 19, or 20, you are far more likely not to vote for the rest of your life. And if we want engaged citizens for our democracy, we should lower the age to 16. Thank you, Madam Chair.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. To the motion? Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Madam Chair. I echo what my colleague from Yellowknife North just said. I agree that perhaps this hasn't gotten far enough. It was amazing to me, as I started down the campaign trail, how engaged the youth were in our campaign, particularly as it was a record number of women running. I think that is a momentum that needs to be built upon. And given the state of the address -- or sorry, the electoral list that we do get as MLAs when we do start campaigning, it is not often very up to date. So perhaps this is just the start of some better recordkeeping on behalf of Elections NWT. Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. To the motion? Member for Frame Lake.