Northwest Territories.

• Author: James, Cynthia
• Position: Legislative Reports

Session

The Second Session of the 19th Legislative Assembly resumed on May 26 through June 3, 2022. pursuant to Rule 10.2, Speaker Frederick Blake Jr. approved a hybrid sitting from May 30 through June 3, 2022

With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the Northwest Territories, Chamber setup and operations returned to pre-pandemic arrangements without social distancing requirements. Interpretation services were increased to include Chipewyan, Hicho, North Slave, South Slave, Inuvialuktun, and French. Pages returned for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were mandated.

Speaker's Opening Statement

Speaker Blake opened the sitting by congratulating participants of the 18th Youth Parliament which was held prior to this sitting. There were participants from most of the Northwest Territories ridings. Many Members volunteered their time to serve as pages during Youth Parliament session. The Youth Parliamentarians read statements and moved and debated motions on various topics.

The Speaker also thanked the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall for their visit to the Northwest Territories during their Canadian tour in May. In addition to visiting Yellowknife, the Prince and Duchess first visited the Indigenous community of Dettah, which was attended by many Indigenous Leaders from other communities. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall observed traditional ceremonies, demonstrations of traditional games, and a drum dance in which the Prince participated in.

During the spring of 2022, the territory experienced unprecedented flooding affecting thousands of residents. Speaker Blake thanked the volunteers and community for their kindness and generosity during this time of need.

Speaker's Decisions

On May 30, the Member for Yellowknife Centre rose on a Point of Order alleging that the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh made allegations against her and imputed false motives.

The Speaker took it under advisement and on May 31, 2022, Speaker Blake ruled that the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh made comments that went beyond what is appropriate debate, stating:

I expect Members of this House to conduct themselves appropriately. The language you use in the House should reflect this. While it is appropriate to share what constituents are saying to you, you must share those concerns in a manner that is consistent with the rules. The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh was asked to apologize to the House and withdraw the specific remarks found out of order...