Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Canada's legislation is moving forward in almost every other jurisdiction, and even though we are moving slower than some, we finally have a "way forward." Public engagement was an important step in understanding the concerns of residents before developing legislation for the Northwest Territories. I don't take issue with that, but it would seem that it was less about engaging our constituents on their opinions and more about legitimizing the government-administered framework for cannabis regulation and retail operation instead of a true, grassroots-based consultation.

Cannabis should still be legal by June, but with retailed purchasing still being pushed back to at least August, there is still time to get this right, Mr. Speaker. With the cannabis legislation in the Northwest Territories "what we heard" report clearly indicating a split down the middle on how cannabis should be sold, we can all agree that we must provide a safe and secure retail regime for the adult purchase of cannabis in principle, even if we are somewhat split on how that rolls out operationally.

If we intend to provide for real, true, local options to establish cannabis distribution, a private sector solution must be considered. Either that or a real partnership with local people. This framework will benefit Northerners, and not just enrich the government's coffers. Directly south of us, Albertans have two options for purchasing retail recreational cannabis; privately run retail stores, and government-operated online sales.

Mr. Speaker, this model has the best of both worlds, establishing a whole new private industry while also allowing the government to still directly benefit from a retail operation. More, too, it will ensure that all sales remain local, and the current model will have a large amount of mail order sales being made outside our jurisdiction and possibly allow us the ability to tax those purchases.

Cannabis cafes and lounges in Alberta will not be permitted until July 1st, but the legislation does give the authority to regulate these forms of establishments should the government decide to bring them forward at a later date. This is something we should consider. As well, Mr. Speaker, the federal government has agreed to give the provinces and territories a 75 per cent share of tax revenues on the sale of legalized marijuana, but we have yet to come to a revenue sharing agreement with either Indigenous governments or municipal governments.

I look forward to seeing this long-promised legislation shortly in this sitting of the House and the work with committees to improve upon this legislation and establish clear rules of the retail of cannabis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.