Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a fair number of comments with respect to the report in itself.

After looking at the liquor law review and the rewriting of the liquor laws and with respect to addressing the Standing Committee on Legislation, even though I wasn't an active Member when they were reviewing this, I believe it is necessary to make remarks about some of the comments I heard in my community when the public meetings were held.

I feel, in looking at the report the Standing Committee on Legislation has developed, it is quite brief, given the amount of effort that was put into the review and the amount of participation by people from all across the Northwest Territories. I find the report fails to include many of the important points raised during the consultation. So I will have some comments with regard to these omissions when we make concluding remarks.

Mr. Chairman, I certainly have been fortunate and been able to talk to many different people with respect to having the assistance of many different people and making comments on this report. I have met with the band council and different individuals in my community on the report itself and the follow-up of the rewriting of the liquor laws that was developed by the department.

I have also had a lot of assistance from Nancy Peel, who was previously the chairperson of the Alcohol and Drug Board of Management regarding what areas need to be addressed. This report, in itself, appears to criticize the department for not endorsing a specific plan. I find that the department, to develop a specific plan for a new bill without getting input from the standing committee and from Members of the House, would not be able to fairly present the comments that people had expressed across the Northwest Territories. I think that the plan, as we give direction to the government, should come from the Members. I believe that this would allow the government to develop what they would like to see and we would be able to give them direction as to what we would like to see them develop. They would then be able to implement it.

If the government went along and developed the legislative action paper, deciding to raise the drinking age and imposing either new fines for bootlegging or opening more liquor stores like they're doing in the south. I think then, and rightly so, Members would probably say they weren't consulted.

I feel, out of respect to the committee system, the action paper should have been framed in this particular manner. But, as I said, I don't believe this report has done an in-depth overview of community consultation and community remarks.

With respect to some of the specifics, Mr. Chairman, I want to indicate that one particular area, besides bootlegging, that I felt I heard a lot of comments about was the drinking age. There was another area where I felt the committee report was particularly inaccurate. If I go to page 4 of 7, in section E, it states that, "Although talked about extensively in all the regions, raising the legal drinking age was not supported by the witnesses who appeared before the standing committee." As I said, I didn't participate in the public meetings; however, I do know that the support for raising the drinking age -- especially by our chief and the community members who went to the public meeting in Fort Smith -- was given.

Although it states, "the concept of raising the drinking age was not supported by witnesses who appeared before the standing committee," in reviewing the public meeting reports which I requested, I don't think that comment is accurate. I believe that several witnesses did support an increase in the drinking age. I know several of the students who came in from Fort Smith to attend the committee's public hearings in Yellowknife -- Arctic College students taking the alcohol and drug program -- certainly commented on the idea of raising the drinking age.

I know many leaders from across the Northwest Territories -- and I recall reading something about the chief from Jean Marie River -- stated that the drinking age should be raised. I also recall that a professor from the University of Western Ontario, Professor Robert Solomon, who is probably one of the leading experts with regard to liquor legislation, made a comment about raising the drinking age.

If I recall correctly from my notes, Mr. Chairman, the committee was also informed that the Dene Nation went so far as to pass a resolution at it's meeting last summer which supported increasing the drinking age. So, I think there is discussion from the public about raising the drinking age from 19 to 21.

I know, Mr. Chairman, that this is an issue that many people disagree on, just as many people have expressed a concern to us about it. Many people feel the drinking age should remain at 19 years of age. When the representatives of the brewing industry appeared before the standing committee, no doubt they recommended that it not be changed.

I certainly feel strongly that people should have the opportunity to indicate which way they want the government to go. I feel this is the sort of thing that people of the Northwest Territories should decide on. So, therefore, I would certainly like to see a plebiscite question included on the ballot during the upcoming territorial election. That may be one way to address this particular issue.

This question could be straightforward, such as: "Do you support raising the legal drinking age in the Northwest Territories to 21 years or do you support leaving it at 19?". That would mean either a yes or no answer.

I looked this report over three times. I read that there wasn't a consensus on this issue, but I do know that there were concerns expressed in the public meetings in the different parts of the north. Mr. Chairman, I feel that some MLAs probably find it to be a hard decision to make one way or another, and rightly so. I, myself, have different viewpoints on it. I think because it is an issue that really affects a lot of people, the people of the Northwest Territories should decide on it.

With that, Mr. Chairman, I think supporting the concept of a plebiscite certainly would help us determine whether the drinking age should be raised. Knowing how plebiscites go, they are certainly not binding on the new government but, at the same time, a plebiscite has the same status as a formal opinion poll. I think it would be a very effective way of encouraging people of the north to discuss this issue and to send a signal to the new Legislative Assembly about how people in the north feel with respect to the drinking age.

Mr. Chairman, I have many other comments with regard to this. However, at this time, I would like to move a motion with respect to the drinking age.

I would like to move that the committee recommends that a question be developed to determine whether voters in the Northwest Territories want the legal drinking age increased to 21 years; and, further, that this question be included as a plebiscite during the fall 1995 territorial election.

Mr. Chairman, the only thing I forgot to do is get my motion translated and I would like to request that this motion be translated at this time. I would like to continue with my comments once this has been addressed. Thank you.

Committee of the whole will resume. For the record, Member for Thebacha, will you please read the motion.