Julie Green

Mr. Chair, the Legislative Assembly currently publishes details of Members' constituency budget expenditures as an appendix to its annual report. I note that the Speaker tabled the annual report for the 2017-2018 fiscal year earlier today. This recommendation calls for more detailed, timely, and accessible information than what is currently provided, particularly for such categories as travel and office expenditures. Other Canadian jurisdictions, as well as our own Executive Council, have taken steps to provide this information online and in significant detail. If adopted, the board of...

Mr. Chair, as with the last recommendation, this recommendation is redundant. The expense allowance paid to all Members will remain non-accountable and will become taxable or has become taxable. I will therefore not be supporting this motion. Thank you.

Mr. Chair, Members of the Legislative Assembly, like members of the public service, have access to the GNWT Employee and Family Assistance Program. Access to this program continues for one year after our employees retire. This recommendation reaffirms the ability of MLAs to access the program for one year after leaving office. The EFAP provides valuable resource material and counselling services for a wide range of personal and family challenges that may continue into retirement. Mr. Chair, I support this recommendation.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Given the defeat of the previous recommendation, this motion is redundant. The amounts for the allowances paid to Members will remain at their current levels and will now be taxable. I will therefore not vote in favour of this motion. Thank you.

Mr. Chair, this recommendation should properly refer to the Legislative Assembly and not the government, but its intention is clear. The government provides excellent courses to the public service to plan not only for the financial aspects of retirement but also the emotional and lifestyle implications that are often of equal or greater importance. If adopted, the board of management will consider whether the fee for this course will become an allowable constituency budget expense or will be paid by the Legislative Assembly. I support this recommendation, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, last year, the Government of Canada announced that non-taxable allowances paid to politicians would become taxable as of January 1st this year. Currently, all Members are paid an allowance of roughly $7,500 to cover miscellaneous expenses that are not reimbursable from their constituency budgets. MLAs are constantly called upon to provide financial assistance to constituents, attend public events that charge a fee, purchase raffle tickets, and participate in silent auctions, to name a few items. They are often called upon to buy meals or coffee for constituents or to travel within...

Mr. Chair, this recommendation, as well as the next two, address the supports that are provided to Members who do not return to the next Assembly. They propose development of an exit strategy for Members and allow them to access support services for up to a year after they leave office. This particular motion calls for the development of an exit strategy for outgoing Members to address such issues as the avoidance of conflicts of interest in their post-retirement life, the disposal of public assets and equipment, records management and disposal, and an understanding of the tax implications of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Every Member of this House is supported in their work by hardworking and dedicated constituency assistants. These employees are the only ones who work in this building without access to health and dental benefits. The motion allows some flexibility to Members who may wish to tailor the work of their assistants to meet their unique circumstances. If adopted, this motion will provide direction to the board of management to negotiate a benefits plan with Northern Employee Benefits Services that both the Member and the constituency assistant will contribute to. Mr. Chair, I...

Masi, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to provide opening comments on this matter. In October 2017, an independent commission was established by the Speaker to review Members' compensation and benefits. This review is a requirement of Section 35.1 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act and routinely takes place within the first two years of a newly elected Assembly. The 18th Assembly's commission was comprised of three members: Mr. Norman Yakelaya, who was the commission chair; Ms. Donna Allen; and Mr. John Hazenberg.

In August 2018, the commission submitted its report to the Speaker who...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Social lunch hour reviewing the Mental Health and Addictions Recovery Plan. These are issues the committee has been engaged with because we are well aware of the tremendous amount of harm alcohol causes. Today I want to talk about a relatively simple intervention that may help stream people with alcohol dependency into the treatment they need.

The report from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research offers a powerful major conclusion: "The current levels of alcohol-related harm in Canada are not inevitable. There is now...