This is page numbers 73 - 93 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 1st Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was review.

Topics

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you. To the amendment. Mr. Gargan.

Samuel Gargan Deh Cho

Mr. Speaker, I understand the intent of the motion and naturally it is a condition in order to support my motion. If it is not supported, then my motion would not be supported. I understand what the Member is suggesting. The Fort Smith Region it is a large region. It also includes Yellowknife, the Dogrib communities, the Deh Cho communities which is composed of 10 communities, the South Slave region which are also composed of four communities. So we are talking about a large region. But at the same time, all those regions have walk-in freezers. There are only a few little places that do not have that facility.

So I do not know if he is suggesting that in the Fort Smith Region, since we have about 30 communities, that we are designated 30 walk-in freezers. What are we going to do with the extra 29 that is there? Do we still keep it then? That is the suggestion of the amendment.

I am saying I agree with the Finance Minister. It has to be based on need, and I think the need is there in Kakisa. I agree with the honourable Member, but if we start regionalizing, it might mean some regions will have a lot more than they know what to do with.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

To the amendment.

An Hon. Member

Question.

Motion To Amend Motion 23-12(1), Carried

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Question is being called. All those in favour? Opposed, if any? The amendment is carried.

---Carried

To the motion as amended. Question is being called. Mr. Gargan, would you like to do a summation?

Samuel Gargan Deh Cho

Mr. Speaker, during the election I wrote a bunch of letters that I did not address to any particular Minister until a week ago. I wrote the Minister of Renewable Resources on November 25th with regard to my request to have a walk-in freezer for Kakisa. I have not received any response. But I would hope they do develop a policy between MACA and DPW. At least, if you have a policy in place, you could have some guidelines to follow with regard to the granting of those. Thank you.

Motion 23-12(1), Carried As Amended

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

That concludes debate. All those in favour of the motion, as amended? Opposed, if any? The motion as amended is carried.

---Carried

We still have a number of items on the order paper. I suggest we take a short recess.

---SHORT RECESS

The committee will come to order. Motion 24-12(1), Serving of Alcohol at Government-Sponsored Functions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Jeannie Marie-Jewell Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Prior to going through my motion I would like to put forth two minor amendments.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Excuse me. You have to read your motion; then I have to declare your motion in order. At that time it will be in order to make amendments. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Jeannie Marie-Jewell Thebacha

Thank you. Mr. Speaker:

WHEREAS the problem of abuse of alcohol is affecting many individuals and families in the NWT;

AND WHEREAS if individuals continue only to talk about alcohol abuse and take no concrete action;

AND WHEREAS it is imperative that every action should be taken by elected officials to play their part;

AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly and the Government of the NWT should not be providing alcohol free of charge at sponsored events;

AND WHEREAS public funds should not be used to provide alcohol free of charge to people attending government sponsored functions;

NOW THEREFORE, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Baffin Central, that this Legislative Assembly adopt the policy that public funds should not be used to provide alcohol at government or Legislative Assembly events.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Mrs. Marie-Jewell, before I move whether or not your motion is in order, I just want to make it clear that you will not be able to amend your motion yourself. Somebody else can do it. If you are comfortable with that, I will rule your motion in order. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Jeannie Marie-Jewell Thebacha

On second look, Mr. Speaker, my motion is acceptable and does not require an amendment. I put this motion forward because of the fact that over the years I have noticed and I have recognized that the abuse of alcohol in our society has affected, as I stated in my motion, many families; and I strongly believe it is the stem of many of the social problems we face in the North. I am concerned that elected officials, as leaders, always want to talk about, always want to indicate, that alcohol abuse is a problem, but I also want to say that they are reluctant to take concrete action in respect to addressing this concern.

I believe that in order to address this as elected leaders of the NWT, we should set an example; and set an example by not allowing any types of functions that will provide liquor free of charge to individuals. I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not taking the opportunity away from individuals at government functions to have alcohol. They can certainly serve alcohol, but I believe they should pay for it and we should not be using public funds to provide alcohol at functions on behalf of the government.

Licences Issued Recently For Government Functions

Mr. Speaker, I requested some research in respect to the numbers of licences that were issued for government functions in the past couple of years. The NWT Liquor Licensing Board issues two types of special occasion licences. One is called a "resale" licence, which allows for any organization to purchase alcohol beverages and sell them, like a cash bar. Another one is called the "ordinary" licence, which allows an organization to serve alcoholic beverages without having to sell it. When I asked the Liquor Licensing Board the number of each type of special occasion licence sponsored by any government department, hospital board, power corporation, or boards of education, there were 44 ordinary special licences issued since December 1989. Now 44 may not seem to be a lot, but there were 44 functions that we allowed government agencies, boards, the Assembly, to provide alcohol free of charge to individuals.

In regard to special licences, it was substantially lower; it was 28. So if people had to pay for the alcohol, the licences issued were a lot lower. I do not think that is right.

Mr. Speaker, I was somewhat concerned, when you look at the community breakdown for the issuance of special occasion licences, which is a type of licence which is issued to any government department, hospital board, for special occasions, Yellowknife in itself had 18 ordinary licences issued with which they sponsored functions that people did not have to pay for alcohol. There were 18 different functions, and they had 15 where they allowed the sale of alcohol at these functions, a cash bar. Fort Smith had three ordinary licences, where they provided alcohol free of charge, and they are so generous there that they did not have any licences for resale. But in Iqaluit they had 16 ordinary licences, 16 free functions where alcohol was given free to individuals, and five resale licences. Hay River had one function with three resale licences. They must not believe in giving anything away free. But Rankin Inlet had four functions that they provided alcohol free of charge and four functions where the alcohol was purchased. Inuvik had one licence where the alcohol was provided free of charge, and they sold alcohol at one function. Fort Simpson had one function where they provided alcohol free of charge, and they did not get any resale licences.

Most government receptions, suppers and meetings in Yellowknife and in regional administrative centres would likely be held in a hotel or a restaurant, where generally wine is provided, and they would likely be held in a dining atmosphere. They do not need a licence because the hotel already has one. So it is very difficult to track how many functions like that were held, but I can imagine there was quite a high number of them. I would not even be surprised if they came into the hundreds.

Government Sending Out Two Messages Re Alcohol

Mr. Speaker, my point is the fact that we send two messages out to the communities of the Territories. We sent one message by basically stating that as a Department of Social Services we request them to provide funds to deliver alcohol programs to address the abuse of alcohol in the North. We are basically saying that we can give you money to address the problem, but at the same time it is okay for us as government or as a Legislative Assembly to hold functions where we can serve alcohol, and I believe that is wrong.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe that if we want to seriously address some of the social problems in the North, and if we want, particularly, to attempt to address the problems of alcohol abuse in the Territories, that we as a government and as a Legislative Assembly have to firmly believe that because of the problems we face in the North with respect to alcohol, if we want to have any functions that are sponsored with public funds, alcohol cannot be provided free of charge. People should have to pay for alcohol.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that Members of this Assembly are willing to take concrete action on addressing alcohol abuse in our society and to lead the way by setting an example and support this motion to discontinue the provision of public funds to be spent on the purchase of alcohol at government functions. With that, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. Ms. Mike.

Rebecca Mike Baffin Central

Mr. Speaker, I think everything that needs to be said has been covered by Mrs. Marie-Jewell. Thank you.

An Hon. Member

Question.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Question has been called. Mr. Lewis.

Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to support this motion, bearing in mind that throughout the Territories this has been identified as a problem, and we all know that there is an unlimited demand for free service. The government has even found this itself. If you give it for nothing, then everybody wants more and more and more, and that is why you have all kinds of chargebacks even within the government: This department does a job for another department, and they charge them for it, because if you give it for nothing they will demand and demand more things than you are really capable of providing.

However, I would point out that it would be a sad thing if we cannot provide hospitality to other people in the way that we are given hospitality by people from all over the country. When we travel, people are very nice to us, and so on, so it may be, Mr. Speaker, that we are going to have to ask Molsons, as I have done many times when we put on a function for one of the organizations in the city that needs to put on some kind of an event and we need sponsorship, we go to Molsons and they say, "Sure, we will supply you with so many cases of beer, and that will be our contribution."

This Legislature will get all its booze, if you like, free from the company that will provide it so you can put on your function. The only problem with that, Mr. Speaker, is that you are going to have to put up a big banner, wherever you are holding it, that this is, in fact, supplied by Molsons, just the same as any sports organizations have to do when they put on their functions.

What I would undertake to do, Mr. Speaker, is that when we do establish our first brewery in the Northwest Territories, I will undertake to ask that company to provide beer free of charge to those major functions that we put on so that we can, in fact, extend hospitality to other people in the same way that we are offered it when we go to other places. It is for that reason that I understand what the Member is trying to do: You want to limit things; you do not want to have an unfettered demand for free service; so we will find ways around the problem in order to accommodate what the Member would like to do. Thank you. I support the motion.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you, Mr. Lewis. I can assure Members that there will be no banner in the immediate future hanging from our Legislative Assembly. To the motion.

An Hon. Member

Question.

Motion 24-12(1), Carried

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Question is being called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

---Applause

Motion 25-12(1), Establishment of a Tax Reform Commission, Mr. Gargan. Mr. Gargan has indicated that he does not want to proceed today. Mr. Zoe.

Henry Zoe

Henry Zoe North Slave

Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I made today with regard to changing the sitting hours?

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Zoe.

Henry Zoe

Henry Zoe North Slave

Thank you, colleagues.

WHEREAS concern has been expressed regarding the sitting hours of the Assembly;

AND WHEREAS Members require additional time to undertake constituency duties;

AND WHEREAS the present sitting hours prevent Members from family and personal commitments;

NOW THEREFORE, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that the Rules of the Legislative Assembly be amended to change the daily adjournment hour from 6:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.;

AND FURTHER, that the amendment become effective with the first sitting day of the second session of the 12th Legislature.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you, Mr. Zoe, your motion is in order. To the motion.

An Hon. Member

Question.