Statements in Debates
The Member is correct. I did make a commitment to provide an implementation plan. My understanding is that we should have that in committee's hands Monday at the latest.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the 12 hours that cannabis has been legal, there was some concern about the price. The difficult question to answer is: how will it affect the illegal market? Maybe we'll send out a questionnaire and ask if it has affected the illegal market's bottom line, with the legalization of cannabis.
We will monitor it. We're 12 hours into the legalization. We will monitor it, and even the early indications with folks lining up at the stores and the online sales that we've had, that obviously has put a dent into the illegal market, but we will continue to monitor...
That is exactly what we are trying to do. Thank you.
Much like with any business venture, the vendors would come forward with a business plan, and they would see whether there is a market for the product or not. Through the early work that we are doing, using the liquor store model, I think it would be a good determination of what type of market is out there.
One thing we don't want to see happen is those getting into the business thinking that it is a cash cow, when a lot of us know that it may not be. We just want to make sure that they know what they are getting into, and that it is a viable operation for them.
That was almost number five, there. The agreement that a vendor enters into with the NWT Liquor and Cannabis Commission has online requirements and inspection activities. They would enter into an agreement that would allow for the inspections, and the online guide outlines the requirements that would be needed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Our commitment was to have regulation and processes in place to assess anybody considering opening a cannabis store. We have released our regulations and information guide for anyone who might be considering opening a cannabis store well before the sixth month, and we will work with anyone considering opening a cannabis store. Opening a store within the retail framework has been released.
First of all, I don't believe the regulations are flawed. Maybe they do need some work. Again, we are 12 hours into the legalization, and it is a moving target, so the regulations are not flawed.
As for the Minister having the absolute discretion, Ministers or those decision-makers rely on a business plan, a business case, being presented to become vendors, and we have the technical folks have a look at them. They come forward with a recommendation. I don't think Ministers would have the time to sit and review every application, but we rely on the technical folks. They come up with...
Much like the revenue from liquor sales, that goes into a general revenue fund, which we in turn use to deliver a lot of the programs that we offer across the Northwest Territories, and 65 per cent of our budget goes toward social programs, but as far as specifically earmarked, the answer is no. It will be put into general revenue, and we will in turn use that money to deliver many of the programs that we offer today.
We provided the regulations for private vendors to committee. I believe it's also on our website, so if there are those out there who are considering becoming a private vendor, there are opportunities there. It's on the website with all the conditions that they have to meet, and I will follow up, but I would assume that would be part of the plan, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister does not think it's a laughing matter, but having said that, it was said before that this was something that was sprung upon us by the federal government, and we worked hard to ensure that we were ready for it. The pricing market, we've given committee an update on the costing and how that was going to work, and we have the producer cost, we have the excise duty, we have the markup and the freight commissions administration costs. My understanding is the total retail price, and it depends on the strand, I believe, is around $10.