R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So just to be clear, I had spoke with Indigenous governments after the decision was made to let them know what was going on, and I spoke with my Cabinet colleagues because, you know, when we make changes in that hallway where we all work, I want to ensure that Cabinet feels supported as all the staff down that hallway support all of Cabinet in one way or another. So that being said, this was a decision that I made in my office based on the experiences that I had over the past year. So I'm happy to consult with the standing committee on policies, on programs, on...

With me today I have Victoria Carmichael, legislative counsel with the Department of Justice. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm here today to present Bill 12, Business Day Statute Law Amendment Act. The purpose of Bill 12 is to fix an error that was made in 2017 when amendments to the Interpretation Act resulted in some government offices technically being required to be open on Sundays. This was not the intent of the changes in 2017.

Bill 12 will amend four pieces of legislation to deal with this problem and to ensure Sundays are not interpreted as business days, including

Subsection 150(5) of the Business Corporations Act;

Section 59 of the Consumer Protection Act;

Section 62 of the Judicature...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wouldn't say that the human resource allocations were part of the divisional drug strategy, but there have been increases to the RCMP numbers in the Member's riding. K'atlodeeche First Nation had two positions added, one this year, one last year. The detachment in Fort Providence has also had positions added. And that's in addition to the new crime reduction unit and the emergency response team that are getting staffed up that also work territorially. So there's more assets available in the communities, and there's more territorial assets available to respond to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so, of course, Nutrition North is a federal program and it has its own criteria and it's related to accessibility, road access. That being said, we obviously have higher costs of living in the Northwest Territories, and that's an appropriate thing to bring forward to our discussions with the federal government and the ministerial special adviser, and I think it's important to also highlight Indigenous businesses and how we can better support them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year Minister Vandal, who was at the time the Minister responsible for Nutrition North, announced that there would be -- they'd be undertaking their five-year review of the program and that that review is expected to be completed this year. And so we are waiting that and are engaging at every opportunity that we can.

As well, we have -- or the Minister last year also announced that there would be a -- let me just find this position -- a ministerial special representative independent of the federal public service appointed to review the Nutrition North program. That...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I remember the good old days when we were able to fund more organizations than we can now. Unfortunately, we don't have that type of process in place. And when it comes right down to it, Cabinet can do a lot of different things, and the financial board can do a lot of different things, you know, creating a new initiative, but there is a process to go through that and it's unlikely that we would have one NGO core funded through that type of process. What we want to do is create a policy and have it in place so it's clear and so that the people of the territory know...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So there is no -- as the Member said, we don't have a policy that the SPCA fits into. That being said, EIA has recently taken over responsibility for working with NGOs, and so we're in the process of preparing to engage with NGOs as well as Indigenous governments about what constitutes a critical service in the Northwest Territories. And that will help outline our funding programs and policies going forward. So that work is going to begin very soon. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, because of the resources that we have, our ability to go out and consult and ensure that there's adequate time to do those types of things, I can't make that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Trespass Act, the legislative proposal is targeted for the second quarter of 2025-2026, so that would mean within the first six months of the upcoming fiscal year. And after a legislative proposal is created, it, of course, is shared confidentially with our colleagues in the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight. They have up to six weeks to provide feedback on that legislative proposal at which point it comes to Cabinet for a decision, and after that decision, if Cabinet decides to proceed, then the bill is drafted and that can take some time as well...