Mr. Speaker, most residents of the Northwest Territories would agree that alcohol abuse poses a frightening risk to the health and happiness of our communities. At the same time, the reality is, for many people, responsible and moderate liquor consumption has become an accepted part of the contemporary Canadian lifestyle. As Minister responsible for the administration of liquor control in the Northwest Territories, I would like to take this opportunity to announce a significant initiative that will relate directly to this government's role in the sale, distribution and regulation of liquor products.

As you are aware, Mr. Speaker, the territorial Liquor Act sets out the framework for our current liquor control practices. This legislation provides for the sale and distribution of liquor, for the issuances and monitoring of liquor licences, for local options systems that allow communities to exercise some jurisdiction over liquor control, and for a number of other key regulatory areas.

Last month, I wrote to honourable Members of this House to indicate that I was planning to carry out a comprehensive review of the Territorial Liquor Act. Today, I am pleased to advise that we will be proceeding immediately with this initiative.

Mr. Speaker, although this act has been amended several times over the years, the principles and substance of our liquor control legislation have not been examined in detail since 1969, when the Choquette report recommended that former Commissioner Hodgson should bring in the existing regulatory system. The act is now over 23 years old and it is badly in need of an overhaul. It is time, particularly considering the recent reminders provided through addictions awareness week and by the tabling of the final report of the Special Committee on Health and Social Services, to get serious about improving our liquor laws.

In launching this initiative, I want to assure honourable Members that the review will be driven by a process of public discussion and community consultation. The Department of Safety and Public Services will be undertaking an ambitious communication strategy to find out how NWT residents want to see liquor products regulated. It is not going to be good enough to simply copy liquor control models from other jurisdictions. We need legislation that reflects the values, the priorities and the ideas of people in communities all across the Northwest Territories. We need a made-in-the-NWT approach.

The intention is to bring forward a legislative action paper outlining new and positive approaches to liquor regulation around this time next year. Once the House has had an opportunity to review these principles carefully, we will proceed to draft a new Liquor Act.

It will be important to count on the participation of the Liquor Licensing Board and the participation of MLAs and their constituents. This venture simply can not succeed without extensive involvement by individuals, groups and communities throughout the Northwest Territories.

Recently, we have seen a number of good examples of the way public participation, and input from Members of this Assembly, can be instrumental in the development of liquor policy. For instance, there have been repeated requests from the public, from the Standing Committee on Finance, and from individual Members of this House for a fresh look at the privatization of certain public operations.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that, earlier this year, Cabinet did in fact approve the privatization of the liquor warehouse distribution centres in Inuvik, Hay River and Norman Wells. These initiatives have now been successfully completed.

In August, many Iqaluit residents turned out at the liquor licensing hearings to express their opinion about the prospect of a new cocktail lounge. The members of the Liquor Licensing Board listened carefully to their views and denied the application. This sort of public participation has proven to be an important component in licensing decisions and is something we want to encourage at every opportunity.

Issues have also been brought to the our attention, very recently, by a number of parents and school authorities who have been concerned about the availability of low-alcohol beverages currently being sold openly in convenience stores and grocery markets. We are now acting quickly to put effective mechanisms into place that will restrict the sale of these products to youngsters.

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Mr. Speaker, these are only a few examples of what can be accomplished when people get directly involved in the development of government liquor policy. There are many others. I am certain that, by working together during this comprehensive review of the Liquor Act, we will succeed in crafting new legislation that is effective, balanced and reflective of northern values. Thank you.

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