Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are 170 licensed liquor establishments in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. By far, the vast majority of these are well-run establishments necessary to our communities, to our hospitality industry that provide jobs. About five percent of them, at the most, cause our problems. In the last two years alone, we’ve had two deaths in Yellowknife attributed to situations and incidents in bars. Other serious incidents are on record in Hay River and Inuvik. Our Liquor Licensing Board, under the chairmanship of Mr. John Simpson, has, in recent months, undertaken very proactive and responsible measures and enforced compliance among these few establishments with the standards that are already in our laws.

However, these very welcome changes in approach have generated considerable negative reaction from some sectors. Most disappointing is that in the words of Mr. Simpson, our own government has not signalled its support. Mr. Simpson, regrettably, has tendered his resignation because he doesn’t feel that he has the backing of our governing authority which is our Department of Finance. In fact, in a conversation with Mr. Simpson this morning, and in direct answer to my question, “Are you being interfered with or hobbled in your actions by this government,” he answered without hesitation, “Totally.”

Minister Roland, the Minister of Finance, in a news report this morning, said, “The board is quasi-judicial and is a ruler. It makes judgments on establishments for breaking the rules that are there. So it is very difficult for them to go into the social aspect of it and try to expand its mandate." But, there is a disturbing contrast, Mr. Speaker, between the Minister’s approach and that of Mr. Justice Ted Richard, who wrote in the decision in August 2002, about a board ruling. Mr. Justice Richard said, “Considerations which focus on public safety and public peace are consistent with the purpose of the Liquor Act and the intention of the Legislature.”

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

Bill Braden

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. So between the Minister responsible for managing liquor in the Northwest Territories and the judiciary, we have a dramatic difference -- I would say a grand canyon, Mr. Speaker -- in how we manage and enforce our laws. It is long overdue that we resolve these issues with a full-scale revamping and modernization of our antiquated liquor legislation. It should go beyond just the issues surrounding this board, but it should also go into many other areas that are impacted by the way we manage alcohol. In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, I support the direction and the approach taken by the board and hope that it will continue with some support at least from this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause