Thank you very much, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. Next on my list is Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As a member of the Standing Committee on Legislation, we received the students from the program who appeared before the committee. What I saw in those young students was that they were very ambitious young people. They are eager to get ahead in life. They were so into the program that at one point, one of the ladies was almost emotional. I am told by people that as a politician, I should not get involved in emotional things, but sometimes, as a human being, I do get involved in emotions.

Mr. Chairman, according to my understanding, there are times when Canadian people, in order to get ahead in the professions they have chosen, have to go to other countries. I understand, way back when I was growing up, around the 1960s, some of the ambitious musicians to-be had to go the United States in order to be recognized. When I watched a documentary on TV, I thought maybe this doesn't happen any more. Then I learned that we don't have an act to recognize nursing students who may be qualified to be registered in this particular jurisdiction; it brought me back to the documentary that I watched a few years ago.

Mr. Chairman, I think that Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Nursing Profession Act, as my colleagues, Mr. Koe and Mrs. Marie-Jewell, have indicated, is a good bill. Although I am not a chairperson of the Standing Committee on Legislation, I would like to thank all the Members who support the bill. I think it's a good bill.

Many times, I asked the students who appeared before the Standing Committee on Legislation for anything that they wanted to tell us that they didn't like about the program. Each and every one of them said it was a good program. They liked it. They were very ambitious, as I indicated earlier. They wanted to learn. One student told us they wanted to be a nurse here in the Northwest Territories. They did not want to go to another jurisdiction to learn and be registered there. So I think I will support the bill. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Any other general comments or general questions that Members would like to raise? Are we ready to go clause by clause?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Sorry, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do support having this legislative amendment passed; however, I wish that the legislation committee had also, at the same time, stressed the fact that the present legislation deals in zones from when responsibility was transferred from the federal government to the territorial government. Some of the wording should have been cleaned up at the same time to refer to regions rather than zones, since we do have regional health boards. As well, the representation of the board members should have been looked into. However, this is more urgent and I just wanted to say for the record that the legislation, itself, needs further cleaning up. I hope that the department will look into that. I will support the bill, but I just wanted to indicate to this House, on the record, the two areas in the legislation that could be improved. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Mike. Any response from the sponsor of the bill?

Mr. Chairman, I wonder if someone could point out to me where zones are mentioned in the bill?

Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The proposed bill does not indicate them. It was during the Standing Committee on Legislation's review with you and your witnesses that I asked a few questions about the present legislation using zones instead of regions.

Ms. Mike, you still have the floor.

The board make-up is from the zones, instead of the regions. It is just something to think about. It's not urgent at this time. As I indicated, I will support this bill.

Thank you, Ms. Mike. Mr. Pollard.

I think Ms. Mike is referring to the by-laws of the Nurses Association, Mr. Chairman, and we have no control over that but we will pass on the concerns to the Nurses Association. Thank you.

To the bill. I want to be sure that everybody has a chance to make general comments. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Nursing Profession Act, is a good bill. I know the NWT Registered Nurses Association, and especially the nurses who are presently training in the Arctic College program that was started two years ago, are very interested in this bill. The reason for that is the old bill wouldn't have allowed them to be registered or recognized. But, now the amendments to the Nursing Profession Act will allow the nurses in the north who are training to be registered by the Registered Nurses Association; that way, they can work in the north. They are

training in the north and so they should work in the Northwest Territories as well.

Based on that and looking at these documents and the comments that were made by the government, the Standing Committee on Legislation and the presentation provided to the Standing Committee on Legislation by the NWT Registered Nurses Association -- who are quite in favour of it -- I want to add my support to this bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Are there any more general comments or questions? Are you ready to go clause by clause?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Clause By Clause

We're on Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Nursing Profession Act. Clause 1.

Agreed.

---Agreed

Clause 2.

Agreed.

---Agreed

Clause 3.

Agreed.

---Agreed