Rights act update
Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Mar 02/01) - Justice Minister Jim Antoine updated the legislature on the proposed Human Rights Act for the Northwest Territories.
Antoine says that public consultations are "continuing," and a "brochure that explains the proposed Act in clear language is being printed right now."
Antoine said that he expects that the legislation for a Human Rights Act "could be ready for introduction" by fall.
Public accounts tabled
Finance Minister Joe Handley tabled the Government's 1999-2000 public accounts on Tuesday.
The 282-page document is audited by Denis Desautels, Auditor General of Canada. The public accounts statement represents the government's consolidated statements of operations and cash flow for the last fiscal year.
With the exception of a few hiccups in the governments balance sheet, Desautels says that "proper books of account have been kept by the government".
Handley and the rest of the government shouldn't rest too easy -- Desautels will be providing more information and comments in his annual report to the NWT's Legislature.
Deh Cho agreement
Jim Antoine does double duty in the Justice portfolio and as Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs. He was pleased to report Tuesday that a framework agreement had been signed by the Deh Cho First Nations leadership.
Antoine says that a formal signing ceremony is "expected to take place this spring in a Deh Cho community."
Working off the cuff
Ordinary MLAs seemed to be surprised when Joe Handley tabled his new code of conduct for government employees in the legislature Monday.
Expecting the government to bring forward legislation dealing with conflicts of interest and secrecy, they were caught a little flatfooted by the sudden tabling of regulations that immediately went into force. The fact that the regulations didn't really require any approval by the whole legislature probably miffed them just a little.
Frame Lake MLA Charles Dent, working off the cuff, managed to raise a fairly pointed question about the partiality of the proposed ethics counsellor.
A half-hearted cry of "shame" rose from the benches, but it never made it into Hansard.
When Handley meets Martin
When the Challenger jet carrying Paul Martin touches down Sunday, Finance Minister Joe Handley has about two hours to make a series of pitches to him.
The man who controls Ottawa's purse strings is flying into Yellowknife to update Handley on the state of Canada's public finances.
Martin will also be listening to what Handley has to say on a variety of issues.
While NWT's formula financing agreement with Ottawa expires in 2004, revenue sharing, borrowing limits are also sure to be high on Handley's agenda.
For the NWT to move ahead on its proposed $100-million highways upgrade, Ottawa must agree to raise NWT's $300 million borrowing limit.
The recent territorial budget proposes that NWT levy a toll on commercial trucking.
The government would borrow money to cover the four-year rebuilding plan, then use the tolls to pay the debts.
Martin just finished meeting with Atlantic Canada's finance ministers. Their request for more cash fell on deaf ears.
