Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the timely action NWT-wide with anti-bullying measures. I want to begin by thanking my colleagues Mr. Dolynny and Mr. Yakeleya for their good work putting an excellent motion together. I’d also like to thank Ms. Bisaro for excellent work in coordinating our work to profile this issue in the House today.

I appreciate all the comments in our Members’ statements and here in support of the motion from my colleagues. I think they were very informed, passionate and often experiential. So people are going right out there. I think this is a straightforward...

My questions are directed to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and it’s on the availability of agricultural lands.

What is the amount of land leased for commercial agricultural use according to total area, number of parcels and average size of a parcel?

What work is underway to evaluate and inventory land that could be offered for commercial agricultural use?

What activities is the department carrying out, including working with municipalities, to increase the amount of agricultural land available and to promote the commercial development and productive use of agricultural land...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, this is a very different situation than the Minister has portrayed here. All those careers don’t require a seat at a university. Anybody with basic education can get in for lawyers and so on. This is a veterinarian seat. There are extremely huge schools in Canada and you need an established seat to get into that program. Obviously, we have a desperate need for veterinarians. Does the Minister agree that this is a bit of an exception compared to the normal professions that we’d like to see our students go into as well?

Thank you. Of course, that was well known. The motion passed in the House was well after 2008, so the Minister will be aware of that. I’m talking about a veterinarian seat here, not a veterinarian’s assistant. So whilst this student assistance review is underway and will be considered in next year’s budget, this candidate has given us three years’ advanced notice to come up with this support, and there’s obviously a desperate need for a veterinarian across the NWT and it’s been well established. So I guess I’d like to just start by asking the Minister if he does agree that there is a desperate...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is indeed a great pleasure to have young people in the House today. An extra energy to enjoy here. I’d like to recognize a couple of Weledeh residents. Miss Aurora Nind – Aurora, if you could stand up – and Miss Thea Guy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I moved this motion because I believe the program described is too good an idea to ignore. Debates in this Assembly in recent days, throughout our term to date, and throughout the previous term indicated the priority placed upon effectively treating the plague of substance abuse that causes such sorrow to our people and harm to our economy and cultures.

Combating addictions is a specific action item in the Believing in People and Building on the Strength of Northerners priorities adopted by the 17th Assembly. This program approach appears to offer an opportunity to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with Motion 4-17(2), which I gave notice of yesterday. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table two documents. The first is entitled, “Letters and E-Mails Received in Support of the Need for Urgent Action on Climate Change.” The second one is entitled, “Proposal for Substance Abuse Pre-Treatment/Aftercare and Counselling.” Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 9, written questions, on the Order Paper.

---Unanimous consent granted

I appreciate those perspectives from the Minister. I’ve repeatedly asked whether there have been other veterinarian students and the only information I’ve ever been given by the department was on veterinarian assistants. So I’d be happy to have that information confirmed, but of course we’re not talking about many seats. It’s rare that we have students come forward with the qualifications for going after a veterinarian degree, and recognizing the need and the interest from the Sahtu for example, recently, I think we need to get this done. So I’d ask the Minister, will he go after this so that...