Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this session, the Minister of Safety and Public Services tabled the annual reports of the NWT Liquor Commission and Liquor Licensing Board. One of the important improvements in comparison to many other reports was the inclusion of the statistics about the number of liquor inspections completed in each community during 1993-94.

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to see that in Fort Smith, there were 152 inspections undertaken by the Minister's liquor inspectors and another 70 by the local RCMP detachment. These inspections were devoted to the regulation of licensed premises in our community. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is important. People are going out to a liquor establishment and want to be in a safe and well-controlled environment. Parents want to know that appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent underage access to drinking. We all have a stake in reducing the illegal distribution of alcohol, the rates of impaired driving and the risks of alcohol-related violence.

I believe a conscientious approach to enforcing the regulations for bars and other licensed premises is an important component of our liquor control system and I would encourage the Minister to continue providing the resources needed for this effective inspection program in Fort Smith. In saying that, I would also like to commend the Fort Smith contracted liquor inspector. I understand that he not only maintains a regular schedule of inspections but he also spends a lot of time explaining regulations and regulatory expectations to bar managers and staff.

However, in further review of the report, I do want to state that I was somewhat surprised that the annual report for 1993-94 indicated the same quality of liquor inspections may not have existed here in Yellowknife. Yellowknife has nine more liquor establishments than Fort Smith and only 53 more inspections

were carried out in 1993-94. Fort Smith only has four liquor establishments.

Mr. Speaker, there are good reasons for MLAs from outside of Yellowknife to be concerned about liquor control in Yellowknife. Many of our students come here from communities all across the territories. People from our constituencies visit the city in large numbers for business purposes.

I seek unanimous consent to continue with my statement.