Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm here today to present Bill 39: An Act to Amend the Post-Secondary Education Act.
The Post-Secondary Education Act received assent on August 21st, 2019, and is not yet in force. The act creates a structure for recognizing post-secondary institutions within the Northwest Territories and will enable the transformation of Aurora College into a polytechnic university.
The bill seeks to amend the Post-Secondary Education Act to address gaps or inconsistencies in the act that were identified during the ongoing drafting of the related regulations. As well, an opportunity was identified to amend the section on Indigenous institutions to ensure it is more closely aligned with the 19th Legislative Assembly priority to implement the articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Bill 39 will first remove an extra barrier for the recognition of Indigenous institutions by removing the requirement that Indigenous institutions first become recognized as post-secondary institutions through a separate process. The recognition process for Indigenous institutions will be determined through engagement with post-secondary and Indigenous government partners and will be set out in the regulations.
Bill 39 will also establish authority for fees and charges to be collected for certain services, such as quality assurance reviews or applications to ensure consistency and clarity within the act.
I wish to thank the Standing Committee for its thoughtful review and collaboration in helping to strengthen this bill through their motions to amend.
This concludes my opening remarks, and I would be pleased to answer any questions that Members may have regarding Bill 39. Thank you.