Northwest Territories: Session.

• Author: Rutland, Glen
• Position: Legislative Reports

The second Session of the 19th Legislative Assembly resumed on May 26, 2020, as scheduled, after the Winter sitting was adjourned early on March 16, 2020 ,due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Assembly sat until June 12, 2020, and is adjourned until October 15, 2020.

The main item of business was the resumption of review of the 2020-2021 Main Estimates in Committee of the Whole. Before adjourning early in March 2020, the Assembly passed an Interim Appropriation Act, prior to completing its review of the Main Estimates.

The Assembly resumed with all 19 Members in attendance, in a modified chamber, which included extra rows of seats added to the Chamber, and directional flow control. At the beginning of each sitting day, Members would assemble in the Great Hall and then be led into the Chamber in the order of their seats to avoid Members having to pass in front of or behind each other. The Assembly operated with two table officers, rather than three, and had a third table officer monitoring from their office. House documents were distributed electronically.

During the session, the review of the full main estimates for 2020-2021 was completed, and Members approved an Appropriation Act. Members passed two other supplementary appropriation acts, as well as amendments to the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act.

Members also passed Motion 11-19(2), calling on the Government of the Northwest Territories to create a Seniors and Elders' Strategy.

Legislation

During the May-June Sitting, the Assembly considered and passed the following acts:

* Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act;

* Bill 7, Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures) 2020-2021;

* Bill 8, Supplementary Appropriation Act

(Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021;

* Bill 9, Supplementary Appropriation Act

(Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2020-2021; and

* Bill 10, Interim Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), 2020-2021.

Bill 6 amended the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act to allow the Assembly to conduct all, or a portion, of a session by teleconference or videoconference, and to permit members to participate in a session by way of teleconference or videoconference at the discretion of the Speaker. Should exceptional circumstances arise, the Assembly can sit remotely, allowing parliamentary accountability to continue.

Bill 10 authorizes the Commissioner in Executive Council to make orders that result in the temporary...