Debates of February 14, 2005 (day 35)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a committee motion. I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Finance focus on the communication elements of the 2006 census so that NWT residents are made aware that the 2006 census is vitally important to the NWT and its residents. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the motion. Ms. Lee.

Thank you. Just to shed some light on this issue and why the committee members felt that it was important to make this motion, is that during the discussions we were informed that in some communities people do not know why people knock on the door and they’re asking who lives in your house and who you are and such. This is private information and strangers’ questions that might be construed in the wrong way and we have to be sensitive to community concerns, and the people in our communities who are not always trusting of outsiders coming in to ask questions about private information. We felt that it was really important that the government expend some energy and some money to inform the public. Maybe we could do a public campaign about what they are when the time comes that has a GNWT logo on it rather than a census logo, which is not as familiar to our people. Considering that our funding mechanisms depend so heavily on the results of census, I think that there is a gap there that this government can do better to the benefit of this government and our financial picture. That’s just the background of this recommendation.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The motion has been distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question.

Question has been called. All those in favour of the motion? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

---Applause

Page 3-27, activity summary, Bureau of Statistics, operations expenditure summary, $941,000.

Agreed.

Bureau of Statistics, active positions, pages 3-28 and 3-29.

Agreed.

Page 3-30, information item, work performed on behalf of others, $3,000.

Agreed.

Page 3-31, information item, liquor revolving fund. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Recently, I was thinking about our revolving fund and how it is handled in Alberta. They actually set up an AADAC commission to actually address…I believe that their funds come out of liquor, gambling and those types of revenues. I was just wondering if it was time for our government to start looking at setting up a commission to address our alcohol needs that are out there. The question was, who pays for the advertising for the 1-800 numbers for people with addictions and treatment needs? I think it is time for our government to start looking at that particular area, Madam Chair. If I can get the Minister to comment with respect to that, I would be very happy.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, as we mentioned earlier in the year on educational awareness on some of the activities, the Liquor Licensing Board is where this would fall under now. The Liquor Commission doesn’t have a very big education role in a sense of what happens. It is something we could look at and look at how some of these things should flow. As we go forward, should we be as a government overall, or should it be within the Liquor Commission and start reviewing that as to how do we further educate or provide information out there? But the roles right now are very limited in what we can do and in the responsibilities that fall in this area. Again, it is something we continue to work with in the Department of Health and Social Services. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I think "being limited" you are being too generous; non-existent, Mr. Minister, especially in terms of the goals and objectives of the liquor board and the commission. I would say that these boards and commissions should take a more active role in consolidating our alcohol and drug addictions needs as we go forward here in the future. I would like to get a commitment from the Minister that he will continue to look at this and see how we can better organize our government to address the needs that are coming up in the long term, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess the big thing we have to do and commit to is working with our partners, in a sense, the Department of Health and Social Services. Right now, they have the mandate for the health side of it, with the addiction side, addictions programming, and work with them and how we may enhance that communication going forward. We are prepared to sit down as a government to look at this and deal with that. There are a number of examples right now where Health and Social Services has been at the forefront when it comes to addictions awareness, the impacts of drinking while pregnant, fetal alcohol syndrome and effects, those programs. So we, as a government overall, need to start looking at how we get that information out and provide sort of the educational side of it from our government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Anything further, Mr. Menicoche? Mr. Menicoche.

I am satisfied with the answer, Madam Chair.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche.

I was contemplating a different subject altogether there. I am glad that the Minister is willing to look at this whole area, because I believe it is something new that the government has to address, especially with the onslaught of developing at an increased pace. It is not only diamonds. Now we have oil and gas that has been looming. Actually, the oil and gas has been there. It is just that development of a pipeline, as our communities grow and the demographics change as it seems like people are moving to larger centres and stresses are increasing. We have to be there for our people. That is just a point I would like to make. One of the ways we can do it as a government is to be more responsive and set up a more responsive agency or commission to our addictions needs, Madam Chair. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. I have Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanted to ask a question to the Minister about the review of the Liquor Act in light of this section here on this budget.

Mr. Menicoche mentioned the example of AADAC in Alberta where not only do they do that, I think that commission is responsible for the roles that our liquor board or Liquor Licensing Board -- I think it is combined -- the work that our liquor board does and the Liquor Commission. Also, AADAC funds money for at least three alcohol and drug treatment programs in Alberta. They fund the Poundmakers in part and they fund the Henwood. They also fund alcohol and drug treatment in northern Alberta. They also do a lot of publications. I am just wondering if the terms of reference for the review that is being undertaken has the mandate to look at that bigger picture. I had a cursory review of the terms of reference. It is written very technically. It is a process-oriented paper. I am still not clear about exactly what that review has been asked to do and whether or not their mandate has enough power to go abroad and say okay, maybe we are not doing enough on….If we are going to do it, we should do it right, and we should open that up. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess, just to be clear, that the Alberta Liquor Commission -- and that comparison is being mentioned right now -- is different than the AADAC commission or the commission on alcohol and drug use in Alberta. As a government, we would have to look at what we need to do and commit to working with our partners as an overall government. What we have to show here on this page 3-31, when you look at the surplus that comes out of the liquor revolving fund, that goes directly into the consolidated revenue fund. So this fund does not stay there and continue to grow. It gets put back into the government coffers to be used for programs and services in that area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Madam Chair. To put it another way, does the review of the Liquor Act that is currently underway, that the Minister has mentioned in his opening statement, does that review include reviewing the role and mandate of the Liquor Commission as it currently exists? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It is the Liquor Act that involves the Liquor Licensing Board and the process there. So, yes, that will look at it as we go through this process. As well, the review that’s happening will do a comparison to other jurisdictions, the practices in those other jurisdictions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Once again, I will just wait to see what the initial review of that is and make further comments. On page 3-31 that we are on, the figures show that the revised estimate for 2004-05 is less than what was projected in the main estimates. For next year, we are looking at a lesser amount being budgeted than this current year. Are we looking at a downward trend in the consumption of alcohol, or what is the basis for reducing this budget? In particular, why is there an almost $900,000 difference between what was estimated for this year and what seems to be the actual amount for this year? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The reason it’s down is there has been a drop in liquor sales from what was estimated the previous year. There are a number of factors that play into that. One is as we’ve looked at it; there is a reduction in liquor sales in some of the establishments. So that is one of the areas that is causing that to drop, as well as we can say maybe some of the programs that are out there are starting to have some effect on the consumption. Right now we are seeing a drop in the sales and are going forward on that basis. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. That’s good, Ms. Lee? There is nobody else on the list. We are on page 3-31.

Agreed.

Page 3-32.

Agreed.

Page 3-33. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Has there been any thought about regionalizing the liquor board staff? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Liquor Commission is in one community right now and there’s no intention of breaking that further out, beyond what level of service is provided to date. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will cross my fingers hoping that some potential development happens in the Northwest Territories. Does the Minister foresee the possibility of regionalizing some of the staff members in terms of the increase of resource development down the Mackenzie Valley? Would he consider putting some part-time people in the regions to assist in the operations? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The 12 identified positions, including the casual, are ones for the support of the operation of the Liquor Commission. What is not included in that is the sales end of it, the warehousing and so on. That has all been privatized. So that’s where there are liquor outlets, contracts let out and they have their own staff through the contracts. We also have contract liquor inspectors who are in different communities and have been working to recruit more. There was some difficulty in having liquor inspectors in all the communities that have sales, but that is something we have been working to improve. So there are two ends of it; one is the administrative support role, which is a small crew that work in this area. Again, we don’t see much changing in that area because there isn’t going to be much growth in there. The changes that will happen are if there are more outlets. In that case, there will be contracts and through those contracts they will be able to hire staff for their operations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. To page 3-33, liquor revolving fund.

Agreed.