Thank you, Madam Speaker. Again it is my honour to get up and speak about the whole matter of rewriting of liquor laws in the Northwest Territories, particularly in the presence of our Deputy Commissioner, Madam Speaker, because she and her husband have worked tremendously hard over the past several years to encourage the reduction of liquor abuse and use in communities.
Madam Speaker, later today I will be tabling a legislative action paper entitled, "Rewriting Liquor Laws in the Northwest Territories." I am pleased to bring this document forward during Addictions Awareness Week, when thoughts are already focused on finding ways to minimize alcohol abuse in our northern communities.
Today's legislative action paper is a result of the comprehensive review of territorial liquor laws initiated in December 1993 by the Department of Safety and Public Services. Public consultation has been a key feature of this initiative. Individuals and groups in all regions have made suggestions for improving the way liquor should be regulated in the Northwest Territories. These ideas have now been summarized in the legislative action paper.
Madam Speaker, I should stress that the completion of this document does not represent a conclusion of the liquor law review, but rather a focusing on the continuing discussions now under way to plan our new liquor laws.
Madam Speaker, the legislative action paper sets out five guiding principles that this government believes should form the framework for our new liquor laws.
First and foremost, new legislation should make it clear that liquor is a regulated product that can only be used according to conditions laid out in the Liquor Act and regulations.
Second, our new liquor legislation should not be developed in isolation. An effective liquor control system is one of the many factors that can contribute to community wellness and its impacts on health and social policy, community development and many other areas.
A third principle emerging from the liquor law review emphasizes the importance of finding "made-in-the-NWT" solutions to northern problems. We should not be trying to copy regulatory models from other provinces' legislation.
Fourth, a priority should be placed on ensuring that our legislation is effective. This means that liquor control measures must be regularly evaluated to ensure they are working. It should reflect community priorities and empower local measures for liquor control.
Finally, new legislation should be balanced. It has to be recognized that for many northerners, liquor is seen as an incidental, pleasurable and self-controlled part of one's social life. For others, it can come to represent only helplessness, fear and despair.
New liquor laws will need to respect the lifestyle differences and the varying personal needs that exist in northern society.
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Madam Speaker, these five principles will guide the development of our new Liquor Act. In addition, public consultation identified many new approaches, strategies and systems that could be incorporated into that guiding framework. These public recommendations are outlined in the legislative action paper, not as government plans, but as options that might be considered by the Legislative Assembly and its committees during the review of this document.
Many of these public recommendations would represent significant change to the way liquor is regulated in the Northwest Territories and would involve the reform of our liquor control agencies. Decisions on which specific measures should be incorporated in the new act will depend largely on feedback received from the review of the legislative action paper.
Madam Speaker, this new legislation will have to set out all the definitions, systems, institutions, standards, general procedures, offences and penalties necessary for liquor control framework in the Northwest Territories. In working toward this goal, we will continue to listen carefully to northerners' ideas about improving the regulation of liquor. We still have a big job ahead of us; yet, it is a task that I look forward to sharing with the Legislative Assembly and its committees.
We will need the recommendations and support of honourable Members in order to create a better Liquor Act. By continuing to work together, in communities and in this House, I am certain we will succeed in developing legislation that is effective, balanced and reflective of northern priorities. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
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