Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to introduce Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Veterinary Profession Act. The proposed amendments to the act will ensure the legislation complies with national licensing standards. This will enable the Government of the Northwest Territories to better meet its obligations under the Labour Mobility chapter of the Agreement on Internal Trade.

The proposed amendments will require that all veterinarians who apply to be licensed to practice in the Northwest Territories hold a Certificate of Qualification upon successful completion of examinations set by the National Examining Board of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. This new requirement will not apply to veterinarians already licensed in the Northwest Territories.

Another minor amendment includes an increase to the maximum fine for offences under the act to better reflect the seriousness of the offence and make the fine consistent with other NWT health profession legislation. Also, the language of the act was modernized and terminology relating to the profession was updated. For example, “veterinary surgeon” was substituted with the modern title of “veterinarian.”

That concludes my opening comments. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.