Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The purpose of reviewing things is to eventually do something. And we have conducted a What We Heard report on the Liquor Act. We now have a report with a number of recommendations. And so my question to the Minister of Finance is when are we actually going to make some changes?
Now, Mr. Speaker, I'm well aware that there is probably no issue more divisive in this House than alcohol. We have communities with literal prohibition in this territory, Mr. Speaker. So it's fair to say that some of us aren't going to agree with how to approach this. But, Mr. Speaker, I believe the Minister of Finance has at least tried, and I commend her on her efforts. The department did the report, they collected a wide variety of opinions, and they came to some sort of compromise.
Heaven forbid I was ever the Minister of Finance, Mr. Speaker, because I would throw that report in the garbage, and I would bring forth my own changes to the Liquor Act which would allow many things that the department wasn't willing to do. But I also know that another Minister of Finance might go in a completely opposite direction. So it's on this Minister while she has that portfolio to bring changes forward, Mr. Speaker, to actually get something done.
Mr. Speaker, there are a few things in the report that I recommendations that I was quite happy to see. They recommend removing the prohibition on the sale of alcohol on election day. You might have noticed there was the usual 100-person lineup at the liquor store yesterday in Yellowknife. Many people going through withdrawal, their symptoms already been there, because we had made it illegal to sell alcohol for almost 48 hours in Yellowknife. I think this is cruel and completely unnecessary and archaic law. Gladly the Minister's recommendation was to get rid of that. We'll have to talk to our authorities and rules about getting rid of it in the Elections and Plebiscites Act, but it's a step.
Additionally, Mr. Speaker, the report recommended allowing special event permits to be granted them yearlong. Folk on the Rocks has been selling beer for 40 years and every year there's this deadline where they're unsure whether they're going to get their licence. I think we can just give them a special event permit, Mr. Speaker.
There was a number of other changes, Mr. Speaker, allowing manufacturing facilities to set up a hospitality area. I know if you start a brewery, one of the key ways you actually make money is being able to sell beer at that brewery, which is currently prohibited, Mr. Speaker. That being said, we have a stack of changes, some require legislation, some can be done right now. My question for the Minister of Finance is what is she going to accomplish with the Liquor Act in this Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
