Mr. Chairman, it is true that the consumption of alcohol is down in the Northwest Territories, which I think is a good thing. I think we all recognize that there may be just a little too much alcohol around. I get lobbied by all kinds of different people with regard to liquor pricing. There is the tourist industry -- the hotels, the restaurants and so on and so forth -- who say that when you increase the price of liquor, beer and wine, it then becomes difficult to attract people to the Northwest Territories. The costs are too high. On the other hand, there are those people in the business of dealing with the effects of over-indulgence in alcohol that claim that having high prices, although it may ultimately reduce our revenues, makes it more difficult to get as much liquor to drink. Therefore, they believe that higher pricing leads to less consumption and less consumption is what is required in the Northwest Territories. On liquor, I am not proposing to do anything at the present time.

Mr. Chairman, with regard to tobacco, it is slightly different in that the reduction in the price of tobacco has not been created by this government. As Mr. Lewis rightly stated, it has been reduced by the federal government reducing their part of the price upon which we base our percentage, and, therefore, our revenues are going down. When the price goes down, as I have said before, we believe that the consumption is going to go up, and therefore, there has been a price reduction in the Northwest Territories in tobacco. There hasn't been any price reduction as far as liquor is concerned. That is why I am proposing to move back into that area and maintain that price the way it was before the federal government reduction. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.