About
The Standing Committee on Government Operations shall consider the following matters with respect to the Departments of the Executive and Indigenous Affairs; Finance; Workers Safety and Compensation Commission; Northwest Territories Power Corporation;; Municipal and Community Affairs, and Justice (Attorney General):
- Review multi-year business plans and budgets, bills, boards and agencies; including the Public Utilities Board;
- Review departmental performance and official language issues, including that of boards and agencies;
- Review, as necessary or appropriate, the annual and other reports of the Statutory Officers of the Legislative Assembly, including the Languages Commissioner, the Information and Privacy Commissioner, the Equal Pay Commissioner, the Ombud, and the Human Rights Commission;
- Shall consider issues related to Official Languages;
- Shall consider issues related to emergency preparedness and disaster management;
- Shall consider issues related to the Public Service;
- Shall consider issues related to government service delivery; and
- Shall consider any other matter referred by the House.
Background
The Standing Committee on Government Operations consists of no more then 6 Regular Members and 3 Regular Member alternates. The committee previously reviewed the public accounts and reports of the Auditor General, issues now under the remit of the Public Accounts Committee.
Members
Seeking Input on Bill 46
The Committee is reviewing Bill 46: Prevention of Proceedings That Hamper Expression on Matters of Public Interest Act and wants to hear from you.
What is Bill 46 about?
This Bill’s purpose is to encourage individuals to express themselves on matters of public interest and to discourage the use of litigation as a means of unduly limiting this expression. It is similar to other “anti-SLAPP”—Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation—legislation enacted in Ontario, British Columbia, and Manitoba.
The Bill would establish a process that allows for a defendant to apply for early dismissal of the lawsuit if it qualifies as a SLAPP. If the defendant demonstrates that the lawsuit arises from an expression they made related to a matter of public interest, the plaintiff would then have to prove that the proceeding has substantial merit, the defendant has no valid defence, and the harm caused by the expression is serious enough that the public interest in continuing the lawsuit outweighs the public interest in protecting said expression. Failure by the plaintiff to prove these three conditions will result in the judge dismissing the proceeding.
Read the Plain Language Summary of the Bill here.
Share your input in writing by contacting @email by Friday July 3, 2026. Please note that submissions received may be cited publicly in the Committee’s published work, but the Committee can treat public input confidentially upon request.
How to Provide Feedback
- Written Submissions: a letter sent to the Committee containing your thoughts, ideas, perspectives and comments.
- NOTE: these are considered public documents unless marked as confidential.
- Oral Comments: Speaking with the Committee in person (or virtually) during a Public Hearing.
Contact
To send written submissions, sign up to provide oral comments at a public meeting, or for more information on any Committee business, please email the Committee Clerk at @email.