Mr. Chair, I know we have gone on a long time. I think that the important point that I would like to make, for those who are watching or listening, is that this change to the oath will provide a link to the other sorts of tools that we do have available to guide Members’ conduct, including the Elections Act, and the code that is the subject of the next motion. It is weaving together all of these pieces, and including those in the oath, and I hope and expect that all the Members will support this motion. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. My Member's statement there, I said there are no measurable targets or goals in the NWT Agricultural Strategy or the action plan. Can the Minister explain why there are no measurable targets in the strategy and plan? I'll give a couple of examples; an increase in agricultural production by 50 per cent in five years, or completion of food security plans for all communities within five years. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to request a recorded vote.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think I have put the Law Clerk on the hot seat long enough. I guess the other circumstance that might be construed as exceptional by some would be if someone had a Criminal Code conviction and was prohibited from running. Assuming all the conditions were still there, if someone had been through a healing process journey and had completed that sort of treatment and so on, would this be another way of defining what an exceptional circumstance could be?

Where I am going with this, Mr. Chair, is I view this as a potentially friendly amendment and worthy of probably some further...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I guess I would like to ask the law clerk, if I may. I know I had some concerns initially about this terminology of exceptional circumstances, but I'm just wondering if we might be able to hear from the law clerk in terms of what this would do in terms of the Charter right. Why don't we start with that? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to move onto the second motion, which is the second recommendation from the Committee.

I move that this Assembly recommend that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended to include a five-year limit on eligibility for candidacy for anyone convicted of an offence of violence or threats of violence under the Criminal Code of Canada and who has not received a pardon or record suspension; and where the offence was committed against a person over whom the accused was determined by the presiding judge to be in a position of trust, authority, or intimacy; and, if...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe this motion in particular will be hopefully non-contentious. We did have brought to the attention of the committee by one of the individuals who made the submission of a situation where, in the past, an individual had been elected, they had not yet been sworn in as an MLA, and there were some actions taken by that individual that were questioned in terms of the conduct. What we found was that the conduct guidelines did not apply to anyone who is a Member-elect until they are actually sworn in. So, the Committee turned its mind to this issue of what happens...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On February 28, 2017, the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures presented its Report on the Review of Member's Conduct Guidelines titled "You Are Standing for Your People." The report contained six recommendations to strengthen the standards of conduct for both candidates and Members of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly and increase Members' accountability to the public.

The committee advises changes to the Elections and Plebiscites Act, changes to the Executive Council and Legislative Assembly Act, a new oath of office, a more enforceable code of conduct...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister. I am going to give him a few more carrots now. I think we are heading on the right track, but one of the issues that has been on the books for years is the availability of agricultural land. What process is the Minister going to action right now to identify and make available more land for agricultural purposes? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think there is just a bit of a misunderstanding here. I would urge Members, if they have got the report in front of them, if you can turn to page 9 of the report. You will see at the top of it, and I will just take a moment, Mr. Chair, to read.

What we are proposing here, what the committee proposed is replacing the current Oath of Office. The current Oath of Office is found at the top of page 9, and it is pretty short. I will just read it as follows -- we are not proposing changing the conduct guidelines themselves, although that is the subject of the next recommendation...