Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, colleagues, for giving your thoughts, your opinions, your analysis to this bill that is being asked by the Sahtu people. I have been asked by the Sahtu people as a legislator – as Mr.

Miltenberger put it so eloquently, as legislators we do the unpopular, bold initiatives to represent your people on whatever issues. When you have your people pushing you for a resolution or solution on an issue such as alcohol, the impacts in the Sahtu region, then you listen to them and you work on their behalf.

I am here before you because we have chosen to do the right thing. Today is the right thing to give the people in the Sahtu to be part of a regional decision on the single most devastating product in our lives since it was brought into our large and small communities, and that is alcohol, the abuse of alcohol. We heard in our communities, when we went to visit them and heard them, that that’s killing our people. We are legislators here to provide maybe not a silver bullet or to get around some of the legalities and complications of regulations and work, but to do something bold and take action. It may not be a perfect solution, and I agree with the Members, but it is something we are doing. We are doing something.

We are talking about a regional structure. We don’t know how or when that regional structure will be put into force, but we are giving the people hope. As legislators, that is what we do. We give people hope. Be part of the solution. We do make a difference when we as legislators go and ask for their vote and say we will work on your behalf. Government is not always right. Sometimes they make errors and that is okay because we can correct them. We are in the position.

In the Sahtu we have wrestled with this issue for some time, with various results. It is success or no success. In the ‘70s the leaders got together and said, Minister, you have the power to put restrictions on the sale of liquor in the Sahtu. He did it. Today is different. The Minister still has that power and the Minister is not using that power.

I want to tell my colleagues, for the ones that are supporting me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. This bill here is raising many issues and confronts many issues on rights and the role as a legislator. This is who you are speaking for on behalf of the people.

I want to say to the people in the Sahtu, what you talked to us about, what you said to us, and I as your MLA, now I know what it means to go to bat for you and work for you. I didn’t think this was going to be a lot of work until I started talking to the drafters and the lawyers and the legislators such as yourself, and that’s a lot of work. You have people who are saying that’s infringing on rights or it’s not okay. I didn’t think that it was going to be so difficult if you are talking about saving lives and evolving as a region such as we are doing now with devolution.

I want to say that I look forward for this legislation to go through, do the right thing. I’m asking Members to listen to the people in the Sahtu. Have faith in the

people. I’m quite disappointed that Cabinet will not be supporting this bill and have a free vote on this. I do not yet see their logic. That speaks louder than what we are doing as legislators.

I thank the people in the Sahtu and I thank the Members of the Assembly for the comments you provided on Bill 24. Thank you.