Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Social Development is pleased to provide its report on Bill 48, Arbitration Act, and commends it to the House.
Introduction
Bill 48, Arbitration Act, was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review on March 30, 2022. A Plain Language Summary for Bill 48 was tabled on the same day.
Bill 48 proposes replacing the existing Northwest Territories Arbitration Act with a more modern law modelled after the Uniform Arbitration Act, known as the Model Act. The proposed new NWT arbitration governance includes updates on:
- How to begin and conclude arbitration proceedings;
- The composition of arbitral tribunals and the appointment and removal of arbitrators;
- The jurisdiction of arbitral tribunals;
- The matters of evidence and procedure, including the issuance of subpoenas and the giving of evidence by experts and other witnesses;
- The granting of enforcement and interim measures and preliminary orders;
- The making of arbitral awards and the awarding of costs;
- The termination of arbitral proceedings;
- The enforcement of arbitral awards, including awards made in the other jurisdictions in Canada;
- Recourse against arbitral awards, including appeals; and
- The confidentiality of arbitral proceedings.
The committee reviewed Bill 48 and accepted the new legislation without proposing changes. The committee did not receive any written or verbal submissions on Bill 48.
Mr. Speaker, through you I would like the pass the reading of this report to my colleague, the MLA for Great Slave. Thank you.