Legislative Assembly Establishment of Two Special Committees

Legislative Assembly Establishment of Two Special Committees

(YELLOWKNIFE) Friday, November 2, 2018 – Two Special Committees have been established for the 18th Legislative Assembly. The Terms of Reference for a Special Committee to Increase the Representation of Women in the Legislative Assembly and a Special Committee on Transition Matters were tabled in the House on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, and formally adopted yesterday.

One of the priorities of the 18th Legislative Assembly is to support initiatives designed to increase the number of women running for elected office in the NWT. On March 8, 2018, the Legislative Assembly adopted Motion 13-18(3) Increasing Women’s Participation in the Legislative Assembly. This motion calls on the Legislative Assembly to support “the goal of increasing women’s representation in the Legislative Assembly to 20 per cent by 2023 and 30 per cent by 2027; AND FURTHER, that Members of this Legislative Assembly work together and individually to identify and implement a wide range of strategies, including positive action, public debate, and training and mentoring for women as leaders, to achieve these goals.” The Special Committee is comprised of six Members of the Legislative Assembly. All members of the Special Committee, including the Chair, were appointed by motion of the Legislative Assembly. Members of the Committee are:

·         The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Ms. Julie Green, Chair;

·         The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Michael M. Nadli;

·         The Member for Nunakput, Mr. Herbert Nakimayak;

·         The Member for Range Lake, Ms. Caroline Cochrane;

·         The Member for Thebacha, Mr. Louis Sebert; and

·         The Member for Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh, Mr. Tom Beaulieu.

 

“Research has shown that having women at the table provides for faster decisions, more effective actions, and better financial outcomes. We need a Legislative Assembly that is truly representative. Gender equality is a human right. Women are half of the population, but have only 10 per cent of the seats. Imagine if this was the other way around, and men had only 10 per cent of the seats. I look forward to working with this special committee to look at different options to increase women’s representation in this Assembly,” says Julie Green, Chair.

The Legislative Assembly’s Process Convention on Priority Setting and Reporting calls for the establishment of a joint Special Committee on Transition Matters in the final year of a Legislative Assembly. The purpose of this Special Committee is to make recommendations to the next Legislative Assembly on the transition process and the political structure of the 19th Legislative Assembly. This special committee is comprised of six Members of the Legislative Assembly, two selected from among Members of the Executive Council and four selected from among Regular Members. Members of the Committee are:

·         The Member for Hay River North, Mr. R.J. Simpson, Chair;

·         The Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Kevin O'Reilly;

·         The Member for Great Slave, Mr. Glen Abernethy;

·         The Member for Hay River South, Mr. Wally Schumann;

·         The Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Kieron Testart; and

·         The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Shane Thompson.

 

“I look forward to chairing this important Committee and looking at possible recommendations for the 19th Legislative Assembly to consider. These recommendations will focus on the timing, content, and format of the orientation of Members of the 19th Legislative Assembly and the process for setting their priorities,” says RJ Simpson, Chair.

For more information, contact:

Danielle Mager, Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Legislative Assembly of the NWT
p: 867-767-9130 ext. 12017
E: Danielle_mager@gov.nt.ca