Nunavut.

• Author: Baldwin, Alex
• Position: Legislative Reports - Conference notes

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The Fourth Session of the Second Legislative Assembly of Nunavut reconvened on October 23, 2007, for the fall sitting. The House adjourned on November 8, 2007.

The fall sitting began with Finance Minister and Baker Lake MLA David Simailak's presentation of the government's mid-year fiscal update and introduction of the 2008-2009 capital estimates. The proceedings of the Committee of the Whole during the fall sitting were dominated by Members' scrutiny of the proposed capital estimates.

A total of 68 bills have been passed to date during the Second Assembly. Eight bills were passed during the fall sitting and received assent. These included a new Workers' Compensation Act, which had been introduced earlier in the year by the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board and Nanulik MLA Patterk Netser, and a new Emergency Measures Act, which had been introduced earlier in the year by Community and Government Services Minister and Rankin Inlet South-Whale Cove MLA Levinia Brown.

In two cases, recommendations have been made that certain bills that had been introduced earlier in the year not proceed any further in the legislative process and be allowed to fall off the order paper. The Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Housing and Economic Development, chaired by Rankin Inlet North MLA Tagak Curley, C.M., recommended that Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Local Authorities Elections Act, be allowed to fall off the order paper.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Accountability, chaired by Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo, recommended that Bill 13, the proposed Nunavut Energy Efficiency Act, be allowed to fall off the order paper. Following the presentation on November 8, 2007, of Mr. Tootoo's report on the Standing Committee's review of the Bill, Energy Minister and Iqaluit East MLA Ed Picco rose to move a motion to have Bill 13 referred to the Committee of the Whole. Speaker Peter Kilabuk ruled that inadequate notice had been given for the motion and invited the Minister to revisit the matter when the House reconvenes for its winter sitting.

During the spring sitting of the House, Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth and Amittuq MLA Louis Tapardjuk introduced Bill 6, Nunavut's proposed new Official Languages Act and Bill 7, the proposed new Inuit Language Protection Act. These bills were subsequently referred to the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit for scrutiny. Standing Committee Chair and...