Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier in the sitting, the honourable Minister of Finance was asked questions around the consultations related to the proposed sugar tax. Looking now, I see that the engagement is closed. I am wondering if the Minister can update the House as to when the results of the consultation will be made publicly available. Thank you.
Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is some concern with the sugar-sweetened drinks tax. We have changed the name. It was going to be the "sugary tax," but we have decided to change it to the "sugar-sweetened" because there are a number of drinks that are sugary that are not sugar-sweetened.
The consultation, as the Member noted, ended in January 2019. We have had public meetings in a number of communities, and we have heard from members of the public. The report of the results of the public consultations is anticipated for March of 2019, so March would start tomorrow, the next day, and then March has 31 days, so we will try to have that document released. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Has the Minister learned anything from this consultation that he feels necessary to share with the House now, such as abandoning this unnecessary tax?
We are doing our due diligence. This was to investigate the introduction of a sugar-sweetened tax. It doesn't say the implementation of a sugar-sweetened tax. This was to investigate. We have heard from people across the Northwest Territories. Obviously, you have seen some of the comments in the news from one person saying that, "I am opposed to any type of tax, and I will continue to drink pop regardless," and somebody else calling it a "goofy tax," but this was just to investigate the introduction of the tax. It doesn't say we are going to implement it. So, being the consensus-type government that we are, and we hear the voices of the people, according to our code of conduct, we have to listen to what they say before a decision is made to proceed any further.
Is the Minister going to implement the tax, then?
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if I need an interpreter. I said this was to investigate the introduction of a tax. It doesn't say that we are going to do the tax. There is still some work that needs to be done. We need to do our due diligence, and once we do that, a decision will be made at that time, based on all the information received, as to whether the tax will be going forward to implementation or not.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My constituents want to know, and that is why I am asking these questions. Certainty is what we are looking for, is what they are looking for, what I am looking for. I appreciate the Minister is proceeding through the consultation, so, if there is a decision to implement a, what are we calling it, the "sugar-sweetened tax," when can this Assembly expect to see it? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, my constituents want to know, as well, as to the course of action that we are going, and I said that we will receive the feedback, and we will analyze the feedback, and then we will make a determination at the time whether this tax should proceed, the sugar-sweetened tax should proceed, and, until then, I mean it is hypothetical for me to say that yea or nay. I will wait until the results, and then, as most good governments do, we will make an informed decision. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
