Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am pleased to provide opening comments on this matter as deputy chair of Caucus.

On October 20th, 2020, 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 an Assembly.

The 19th Assembly's Commission was comprised of three Members, Mr. Joseph Handley, who was Commission chair, supported by Ms. Janet Toner and Mr. Glen Tait. In August 2021, the Commission submitted...

Madam Chair, this recommendation is related to motion 16 about the transition allowance, and for that reason, I recommend that it be defeated. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I support this motion. This is a housekeeping item to ensure that future independent Commissions have access to information into the register of electors to conduct their work. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this Assembly recommends that the Board of Management review the workload of all standing committees every two years and, if necessary, reassign Members to rebalance the Members' workload. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I support this motion.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two motions. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, October 20th, 2022, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that the Legislative Assembly recommend the reappointment of the following individual to the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission effective immediately for a term of four years:

Mr. Yacub Adam of the City of Yellowknife.

And further, that the Legislative Assembly recommend the appointment of the following individual to the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this recommendation relates to the transition allowance that former Members are entitled to when they leave office. While I understand and appreciate the intention of this recommendation, it would make the calculation of the transition allowance unnecessarily complicated and may bring it out of line with the coolingoff period that applies to all Members when they leave office. I think the transition allowance is fine as it is and therefore I recommend defeat of this motion. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, this recommendation is a little confusing as one of the duties of an Electoral Boundaries Commission laid out in legislation is to recommend the names of electoral districts. As we will see a little later, the commission has recommended a minor change to the name of one district. I am not certain that we have adequate time to complete this review and change legislation prior to the next election, Madam Chair, but I support the recommendations. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this Assembly recommends that if a Member is removed from a committee, the $2,000 stipend would be removed and prorated to the date of removal. If they become a Member of another committee, the stipend would be reinstated once they become a Member of that committee. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, I support this motion. This is a useful document for those thinking about running for office, and it should be updated in time for the next election. Thank you, Madam Chair.