Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to challenge the statement that has been made by the Minister of Justice that the cannabis legislation as proposed by Ottawa has caught this government by surprise and has not allowed them to do the important work of consulting with our people and developing a legislative framework. I am going to share a timeline with this House. On September 30, 2015, while campaigning during the 2015 federal election before the Liberal party came to power, Justin Trudeau said that his party was committed to legalizing and regulating marijuana. He said controlling it would protect our kids and remove criminal elements from it, and he added at the time the Liberal party would "get started on that right away."

On April 20, 2016, Health Minister Jane Philpott announced the Liberal government will introduce legislation to legalize marijuana in the spring of 2017. Meanwhile, in Toronto, thousands attended the city's 4/20 pot rally at Yonge and Dundas Square. As marijuana dispensaries started popping up in anticipation of the legislation, a public opinion poll at this time showed 68 per cent of Canadians felt pot should be legal in Canada. On April 24, 2016, a spike in marijuana dispensaries in parts of Canada promoted calls for government to regulate the businesses. On May 26, 2016, Toronto Police conducted "Project Claudia," a large coordinated series of raids on 39 marijuana dispensaries. Officers had 90 people arrested and 257 charges were laid. On June 13, 2016, Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould announced the federal government would not decriminalize marijuana before legalizing it. She also said the Liberals would not support an opposition motion urging the government to immediately decriminalize simple pot possession. On June 23, 2016, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders announced his officers raided several marijuana dispensaries in the city, almost a month after Project Claudia. He said the businesses were operating illegally.

Clearly, Mr. Speaker, there is a complete timeline at this point where we have a commitment from the federal government to issue legislation. I challenge the Minister that we haven't had time to properly consider this, nor that there has been discussion on the options available. Northerners need to know what the future is for legal cannabis in the Northwest Territories, so they are not unfairly taken advantage of by criminal penalties and so they can maintain their own autonomy around decisions that relate to their communities. Further, they can access new opportunities and not let them get gobbled up by southern markets. Mr. Speaker, this needs to happen now, and I hope the Minister takes it seriously. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.