Nunavut.

• Author: Baldwin, Alex
• Position: Legislative Reports

The 1st Session of the 4th Legislative Assembly reconvened on March 6, 2014. The proceedings of the Committee of the Whole during the 2014 winter sitting of the House were dominated by the consideration of the Government of Nunavut's proposed 2014-2015 capital estimates.

The winter sitting was the first to be broadcast live across the territory on direct-to-home satellite service, in addition to existing broadcasts on community cable stations.

In April of 2013, representatives from the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut and the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories appeared before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on the occasion of its public hearing concerning the legislatures' joint application for mandatory distribution.

In August of 2013, the CRTC issued a decision requiring mandatory carriage of the televised proceedings of the territorial legislatures on the digital basic service of the direct-to-home satellite broadcasting distribution undertakings serving Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

Legislation

Five bills received Assent during the winter sitting:

* Bill 1, An Act to Provide for a Fixed Election Date;

* Bill 2, Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2014-2015;

* Bill 3, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 3, 20132014;

* Bill 4, Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 4, 2013-2014; and

* Bill 5, Interim Appropriation Act, April 1, 2014-July 31,2014.

Bill 1, An Act to Provide for a Fixed Election Date, was the first bill to be introduced in the current Legislative Assembly. Bill 1 was introduced under the authority of the Legislative Assembly's Management and Services Board. Speaker George Qulaut appeared before the Committee of the Whole on the occasion of its clause-by-clause consideration of the bill.

Bill 1 amended the Nunavut Elections Act and the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act to provide that the election day for a territorial general election must be the last Monday in October in the fourth calendar year following the election day for the most recent general election. Consequently, the next territorial general election will be held on October 30, 2017.

Bill 1 fulfilled a commitment that was announced as part of the communique which was issued following the February 18-21, 2014, full caucus retreat. The retreat, which was held in the community of Kugluktuk, brought together all Members of the Legislative Assembly. Other decisions...