Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like governments across Canada, the GNWT is working to meet the federal government's deadline for the legalization of marijuana later this year. In the fall of 2017, the GNWT consulted with communities in the Northwest Territories about the proposed legislation to make marijuana legal in the Northwest Territories.
Unfortunately, Fort McPherson was left out of this consultation. The Hamlet Council, the Tetlit Gwich'in Band, and the Designated Gwich'in Organization are not happy about that. As they pointed out in a press release earlier this month, the hamlet has concerns about legalization and the serious implications it has for communities struggling with addictions issues. They also noted that there is a lot of public interest in the issue, which merits more examination and conversation.
Unfortunately, when the GNWT took its consultation to communities, there was no invitation to and no direct correspondence with the mayor, hamlet council, or the residents of Fort McPherson about the consultation planned for Tsiigehtchic. Surely, this should have been done.
While the GNWT may have failed Fort McPherson in this matter, there is an opportunity for this oversight to be corrected, and I am looking to my Regular MLA colleagues to step up and do what the GNWT wouldn't. When the cannabis bill is referred to the standing committees for review, the committees will have a chance to do their own consultation on the proposed legislation. I will be speaking with the chairs of the appropriate standing committees to request a commitment to visit Fort McPherson during that upcoming consultation process. The community has a strong interest in this issue and they deserve to be heard. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to complete my statement. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted