Robert C. McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following documents entitled "Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2019-2020"; and "Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 2, 2019-2020". Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is something that we would consider. If the consumers are looking for a particular type of product or if there is a particular type of product that is more popular than others, then obviously I think the commission would look at having that readily available. So, again, it's a new process. We've been going through it for a while now. We ran into some issues at the start with supply; those issues seem to have been resolved, and we're starting to move forward. Just for the record, I think that we've had about $1.6 or $1.7 million in sales so far; $1.6, I believe, in sales so far. Again, as to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we all know, cannabis has been legal for just going on seven months now. We did make a commitment that we were going to look at privatizing the sale of cannabis. It is a very long, lengthy process, and we make those who are interested aware of that. The Member was correct in his Member's statement before, I think he mentioned the date May 29th, that has been extended to June 30th. Part of that is at their request, because there was a criminal record check that was required, and rather than sticking to a hard date and possibly eliminating someone who might be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Bill 54, Standard Interest Rates Statutes Amendment Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Not at the moment, Mr. Speaker. We have our liquor retailers in each region, and I think I'd be a little hesitant. Again, I'd be a little hesitant in expanding the number of liquor stores and making liquor a little more available to those who are feeling the effects of it. So, again, we may need to do a review of the whole operation, and I think it's one where we can provide some advice to the incoming government of the 19th, and maybe start some of the work now and doing a review of the overall liquor and cannabis distribution in the Northwest Territories, but at the moment, we're not looking...

As the Department of Finance, I don't believe we have a set number of the amount of stores that we might allow in each district or each community. We would work closely with the municipal governments. Obviously, they would have a very important say as to how many of these outlets they might want to have in their community, so we would work with them and see if we can come up with an agreeable solution. So, again, it's not one that we're going to decide, we're going to make the decision when it's final; we'll work with those who would be directly impacted by the number of retailers in their...

The Premier is responsible for the discussions with the deputies, but I will assume that there are a number of goals that deputies have to achieve as part of their performance. Within the departments that I have had, I know that there are some opportunities in there for the deputies to try to improve the workforce and come up with new initiatives to improve the workforce. Again, I think we are getting there. I really think that we are getting there, and I believe that, in the future, there are going to be more and more Indigenous P1 representatives within the GNWT, but they will get there...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, for one, have seen some of the benefits in my riding of the results of Affirmative Action, and I do support it. If it hasn't been reviewed for a while, I think there is an opportunity to do a review, but it has reached some of the goals that it was intended to. Across government-wide, I think the Member pointed out before, we have only 1,533 Affirmative Action employees. Outside the capital, we have about 1,100. It is about 46 percent of our workforce outside the capital are P1 candidates, getting closer to the 50 percent. As our people start to be more and more...

As required under Section 8 of the ERA, the annual report tabled May 27, 2019, stated that no applications, investigations, prosecutions, or actions had been undertaken between the reporting period 2003-2004 and 2018-2019 other than one application for an investigation in 2013-2014. As there were no prosecutions, there was no disposition of money or any convictions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct. We have not tabled one since 2002-2003. This is primarily due to inactivity under the ERA. In the future, however, reports will be tabled on an annual basis regardless of whether or not there were any activities conducted under the ERA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.