Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 6, Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, be read for the first time.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. We have a motion. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour, please signify. Thank you. All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 6 has had first reading. Item 18, first reading of bills. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. We have a motion. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour, please signify. Thank you. All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 7 has had first reading. Item 18, first reading of bills. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. We have a motion and the motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour, please signify. Thank you. All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 8 has had first reading. Item 19, second reading of bills. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Consumer Protection Act, be read for the second time. Mr. Speaker, this bill requires individuals who collect debts for collection agencies to become licensed. Creditors, collection agencies and collectors are prohibited from adding more to a debt than the amount that is legally owing on it, and collection agencies and collectors are prohibited from collecting more than the amount legally owing on a debt. Regulation making powers are included to allow for the regulation of debt collecting practices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minster. We have a motion. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.

Question has been called. All those in favour, please signify. Thank you. All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 4 has had second reading and, accordingly, the bill stands referred to a committee. Item 19, second reading of bills. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nunakput, that Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act, be read for the second time. Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the Motor Vehicles Act to provide that the driver's licence of a person who is licensed in the Territories will be suspended and that a person who holds a driver's licence issued in another jurisdiction will be disqualified from driving, if the person operates or has the care or control of a motor vehicle on a highway while the concentration of alcohol in his or her blood exceeds specified limits or if he or she fails or refuses to comply with a demand to provide a breath or blood sample. The length of the suspension or disqualification varies from 24 hours to 90 days, depending on the amount of alcohol in a person's blood, whether the person is a novice driver and whether the person has been subject to a previous suspension or disqualification. If a 90-day suspension or disqualification is imposed, the person is permitted to drive for seven days before it commences unless he or she is a novice driver.

Persons who are convicted of criminal offences for impaired driving or failing or refusing to comply with a demand to provide a sample of breath or blood are prohibited from driving in the Territories. The period of the prohibition increases with each successive conviction in a 10-year period or if death is caused. There is an exception for persons who have been issued driver's licences by other jurisdictions after any prohibition period imposed by a judge or court in respect of the offence has expired.

The registrar may require a person who has been subject to specified suspensions, disqualifications or prohibitions to satisfy conditions, including undergoing assessments and completing programs, before reinstating a person's driver's license or issuing a driver's licence to a person. If the registrar issues a driver's licence to such a person, the registrar may impose a condition upon the driver's licence that the person participates in a prescribed alcohol ignition interlock device program.

The bill provides for the 30-day seizure of a motor vehicle that is driven by a person who is disqualified from driving because he or she was convicted of an offence in respect of operating or having the care or control of a motor vehicle while impaired or of failing or refusing to supply a sample of breath or blood under the Criminal Code.

The bill authorizes the enactment of regulations to establish a graduated driver's licence program. It also amends the act to provide that a person is not entitled by right to a driver's licence. A number of other minor amendments are made to this act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. We have a motion and the motion is in order. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased to speak in favour of this bill. It is something that I had anticipated we would be seeing on the floor of this Assembly from the beginning of our term three years ago, and we have it here today. I look forward to watching and participating in the committee review of this bill and to seeing its passage, hopefully as soon as June.

Mr. Speaker, there are lots of things that can be said in support of this, and perhaps some of my colleagues will reflect on it. But I would like to make a point that the young people of the Northwest Territories, of this city, of the schools here in Yellowknife, especially the Students Against Drinking and Driving chapters at St. Pat's High School and Sir John Franklin High School and I know there are others in other communities, have shown tremendous leadership, Mr. Speaker, and tenacity in continuing to press the government for these kinds of amendments and these kinds of conditions. I understand that there has been work here in the Northwest Territories for the past six years at least, to see these kinds of amendments come through. I want to congratulate those young people and tell them that this proves that, indeed, young people can and do make a difference in the way this country is run. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would briefly like to speak in favour of this bill. My colleague, Mr. Braden, has pointed out that young people in particular have led the fight to see this sort of legislation come forward. I'm pleased that we are now able to follow through on the request that we had, that we bring forward this kind of legislation.

We have made tremendous strides in reducing the numbers of impaired drivers on our roads in the Northwest Territories over the last 10 years, but it's not enough. We still have a ways to go, and with this kind of legislation and by reducing the amount of blood alcohol content that a driver may have before they suffer consequences, I think we will be indicating to people in the Territories and across Canada that we do not accept this kind of behaviour. It is not acceptable anywhere or at any time, and we will be tough on the people who drive after drinking.

Mr. Speaker, I think another important aspect is that we're moving towards a graduated licensing program. All of the research that I've read indicates that that tends to allow young people and new drivers a chance to become conversant with the rules of the road and how to control a vehicle safely, before they get too far into dangerous circumstances.

So, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to congratulate the Minister on bringing this forward, and indicate that I will be supporting this bill wholeheartedly.

---Applause

Thank you. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to echo the comments and sentiments of my colleagues who have previously spoken and indicated their support for this bill. I think that as a society we've become less tolerant of impaired driving, and certainly our laws should reflect that. I think this goes some measure toward that. I think it does the right things, Mr. Speaker, in the right direction. I'm particularly happy to see the graduated licensing program. I think the Minister indicated that a driver's licence is in fact not a right. There is the danger that if you're behind the wheel and you aren't competent, that you will injure or kill somebody. I think it's very important that we expect our drivers to demonstrate their competence, demonstrate ability, and certainly demonstrate responsibility before we allow them to drive.

The other thing that I'd like to point out, Mr. Speaker, is that through hard work, organizations like Students Against Drinking and Driving standing out in front of the fire hall on many a cold morning with their message asking for us to honk to show our support, I think that kind of demonstration, that kind of good work, that kind of show of support has made a real difference. I think when people see legislation like this coming forward and wonder where the impetus for this kind of thing has come from, I think we can point squarely to the work of good groups like that, Mr. Speaker. Clearly that work is paying off. So I'll be supporting this bill here today. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.