Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The bill we have before us will modernize the practice of pharmacy in the Northwest Territories. It provides pharmacists with their scope and regulation of practice, and further clarifies the roles of doctors, pharmacists and nurses in issuing and...(inaudible)...prescriptions.

It also moves the drug schedules from legislation to regulation, which will allow the department the ability to add and de-list drugs from the schedules as required, and respond to emerging health care crises by temporarily moving drugs to a lower schedule in order to increase availability.

Following the committee's review, a motion was carried to report Bill 7, Pharmacy Act, as amended and reprinted, to the Assembly as ready for Committee of the Whole.

This concludes the committee's opening comments on Bill 7. Individual Members may have additional questions or comments as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.