Robert C. McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will not commit to actually putting that $750,000 into other programs. I did say that, through the programs we offer within the government to support small business, that $750,000 that we would save by not implementing the tax would definitely help to fund some of that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have two years left in this mandate. It was not a promise that I made, so it is not going to be a broken promise. I understand that it was part of the mandate, but again, the mandate was for four years, not two.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the federal proposal I believe is costing the federal treasury about $3 billion. A similar proposal would cost us about $750,000, so it is not something that we are contemplating at this moment.

Mr. Speaker, I expect the regulation will be in place by the end of October, and the NWT Brewing Company will be able to begin deliveries if I am in a position to sign the regulation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, the plan is that the review should somewhat modernize the sale and licensing of alcohol in the NWT and provide the NWT Liquor Licensing Board with the necessary tools to do their jobs in a fair and transparent manner, as well as addressing concerns raised by licensees.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Inter-Activity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 (April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017)" and "Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board 2016-2017 Annual Report." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we thought that the existing liquor regulations had enough leeway to allow for the sale of beer by the NWT Brewing Company directly to licensees. The board, as an independent quasi-judicial body, did not agree with that interpretation of the regulations and would not allow direct sales. To be fair, Mr. Speaker, the board can only make decisions using the existing legislation and regulations. If they are out of date and no longer relevant, it falls on us to change them. I have directed the department to draft regulations that allow for the sale of NWT...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have asked the official of the department to review the existing board processes and policies of the NWT Liquor Act regulations. In addition, the department will be reaching out to stakeholders as to how to modernize the board enforcement and decision-making processes to ensure they are transparent and fair. We plan on having the work completed for review by the next fiscal year. We do, however, plan on implementing the changes that we can make in the interim. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Bill 33, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2018-2019 be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have had an opportunity to meet with one of the manufacturers here in the capital along with a Member from Yellowknife North, and a very productive meeting. They made a lot of their concerns known, and I think we took that away and we realized that they had a very valid point, so I think we were trying to take steps to address that. There will be an opportunity for the businesses to have input, and if they require a meeting of myself, then, I am sure I can make arrangements to have a sit down with them as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.