Frieda Martselos

Madam Chair, you know, we sit here and as and we're using public monies and, you know, in private industry, this would never happen, okay. And it's you know, being in small business for 50 years and considering all the aspects that would happen if you had to go to litigation is really alarming, that we could just go and do this with a brush of whatever. And, you know, I have to really think seriously before I vote on this and I just don't like the whole taste of it because it's not okay for transparency and accountability issues when it comes to public monies, because we're doing this on...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I too am questioning some of the transactions. I know this is inherited; it's not with this Cabinet because it goes back to 2013. There's no Indigenous partners in this. There's another company that's called Ledcor. And it's an international company with NorthwesTel, in a P3, and we're giving them a settlement of $27,750,000. And it's questionable as to how these kind of agreements are done. I'm all for P3s if it's done properly and the Is are dotted and the Ts are crossed. And, you know, onus goes back to the legal teams that put these kind of things together. And I...

Madam Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, Bill 61, An Act to Amend the Ombud Act, received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on November 2nd, 2022, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review.

Bill 61 is a private Member's bill sponsored by the Member for Yellowknife North. As such I, as deputy chair, assumed the role of chairing meetings about the review of this bill.

The committee sought feedback on Bill 61 and received eight written submissions. The committee held a public review of the bill on December the 9th, 2022. The input helped committee to...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Hay River North, that Bill 76, An Act to Amend the Electoral Boundaries Act, be read for a second time.

Mr. Speaker, Bill 76 amends the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act to

Establish a Commission within two years of the 2023 general election;

Expand the size of the Commission;

Broaden the eligibility to serve as chairperson of the Commission;

Add geographic and place names to the relevant considerations of the Commission; and,

Modernize language, including by using genderneutral language.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there are four positions within Aurora College that are currently being borrowed from Fort Smith. But they do not belong but they do belong to Fort Smith, and they must be returned as soon as possible.

Will the Minister commit to work with the newly appointed board of governors and return the four loaned college positions back to Fort Smith? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if the new board of governors wanted to make a change of direction with where the college is going and say it was different from the college president and senior management wanted, how would that be resolved? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, on March 6th, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment announced the Members of the new Aurora College Board of governors. I was very pleased to hear the Minister's long-awaited announcement on this matter because I know that having a new board of governors for Aurora College is a vital step to advancing the transformation into a new polytechnic university.

Mr. Speaker, among the 13 appointees of this board, there are five people from the South Slave Region two Hay River residents, two Fort Smith residents, plus one student...

Mr. Speaker, yesterday as Caucus chair, I pleased to table a consensus government convention that clarifies how this Assembly will consider and pass land and resource legislation that has been in partnership with Indigenous governments in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, before becoming an MLA, I served for 14 years as chief of the Salt River First Nation. I was at a table with Premier McLeod and other northern leaders when the devolution agreement was signed and negotiated. It was a hard-fought negotiation.

I want to be very clear that devolution was never intended to transfer the authority for lands and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize our MP for coming to visit us in this House, and welcome back to Fort Smith any time he wants, because that's where he went to school in the early years. I used to serve him on the line. I also want to welcome Jackson. I congratulate him on his grand chief appointment by all his people. That's a big achievement. And I want to recognize Brad who used to is a former Fort Smith resident. And of course Sholto, for all his volunteer work, not only with the dog mushers but Sholto is a great caterer and does incredible meals for the community at...