Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. That's some pretty exciting news, and safety is very important. When he talked about CanNor previously and bringing them in, and it's great, but some of the people in my riding are asking why are we bringing southern companies in to promote tourism when we could be looking at our successful tourism businesses in the North and getting these people to provide information and training that showed off their success. Could the Minister please advise this House how southern companies are brought in for tourism training and not northern companies? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not quite clear what the Member's referring to as bringing in southern companies for tourism, but I do know that as a government as a whole we put a lot of emphasis on using NWT products and services and we follow our BIP policy and all that as much as we can to offer services. In the Department of ITI we have a Tourism Mentorship program, and maybe that's what the Member's referring to where operators can access this program. It's done through the Canadian Executive Service Organization, and they will match up any potential operators with a mentor and they will work with the mentee. Depending on the proposal, the mentee can go to the mentors or the mentor can come to the mentees' operation and help facilitate how they can make their operation a more profitable business for themselves and for a better tourism experience for all tourists.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have that level of detail or the specifics at this moment, so I'll take the question as notice. Thank you.

Oral questions. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to Commissioner's opening address. Item 11, replies to budget address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of standing and special committee. Item 14, reports of committee on the review of bills. Item 15, tabling of documents. Honourable Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Report of Special Warrants Issued – November 5, 2016 to January 30, 2017." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up Letter to Oral Question 343-18(2): Small Business Funding Supports." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Tabling of documents. Pursuant to Section 23 of the Official Language Act, I wish to table "Office of the Languages Commissioner for the Northwest Territories Annual Report 2015-2016," and I wish to draw your attention, Members, to the presence of the language commissioner, Ms. Shannon Gullberg, who is with us here in the gallery today. Welcome.

Pursuant to Section 99 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I hereby table the "Northwest Territories Conflict of Interest Commissioner Annual Report to the Legislative Assembly for 2016." Tabling of documents. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to table the following document entitled "The Path to Prosperity Report from the Advisory Council on Economic Growth, February 6, 2017."

Masi. Tabling of documents. Item 16, notices of motion. Item 17, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 18, motions. Item 19, first reading of bills. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

First reading of bills. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake that Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi, Minister. Unfortunately, the seconder is not in the room. First reading of bills. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Tobacco Tax Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. The motion is on the floor. To the motion.

Question has been called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 15 has had its first reading. Masi. First reading of bills. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.