Thank you, Mr. Chair. As our report notes, the committee worked with the government to amend the bill to remove the provisions for a cannabis advisory council, as there was no clear indication of what it would be used for and there was a concern that it would allow an unelected body to weigh in on policy decisions that are more properly vested in the standing committee in our unique consensus system. However, there still is need for an internal government approach to future cannabis-based products, high-potency cannabis products, and licensed establishments for cannabis consumption.

As we have already heard in debate, the scope of the bill did not allow the standing committee to amend the bill to allow for cannabis lounges, and that has left us in a predicament where there are extensive regulations on where cannabis can be consumed publicly, but no legal place aside from your private property to do so. So it is the hope, by establishing a working group, that the GNWT will be in a better position to weigh in on these decisions, to take the time to develop how they are going to work, especially in regard to edibles, which are coming in 2019, and high-potency cannabis products, which many jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis have also brought under their regulations, as the existence of these products can have serious human health effects if they are not properly controlled. First, the committee hopes that this recommendation will carry and that the government will work to establish this group. That concludes my comments on this motion. However, I would like to ask for a recorded vote at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I will support this motion, but this is exactly the kind of task that could have been assigned to an advisory committee, had the committee been given the proper mandate and membership and so on.

You know, I served on the Waste Reduction and Recovery Advisory Committee to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources for 10 years. I chaired it for a good part of that, as well. It was made up of a number of representatives with expertise in various areas, and it did provide, I think, good advice to the Minister. I think it has also allowed for the waste reduction and recycling efforts to improve in the Northwest Territories over a period of time.

This is the kind of thing that should have been given to an advisory committee; but, given that, I will still support the idea of a working group. It would have been my preference to have had an advisory committee to allow for representation outside of the government on such a working group. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. To the motion. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this is an important recommendation. We are describing cannabis as a recreational product, and yet we have set up the regulation, as I said in my opening remarks, so that it's not possible for people to consume it in a recreational setting. They're told as well it's not advisable for them to consume it around their children, which I appreciate, but the fact is that, if we're going to legalize the recreational substance, then we need to authorize recreational places to consume it. My hope is that this will be a primary concern for this group, this interdepartmental working group, that they figure out how to make recreational consumption in public places possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. To the motion. Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I have a little difficulty supporting this motion because, in our community visits, I didn't hear that communities wanted licensed establishments. Actually, there are two people who kind of felt that that encouraged or maybe sent the wrong message to our youth, which I see where they're coming from on this. Maybe further down the line this may be all right, but for now, I find it difficult to support this one because of what I heard in the communities. You know, it may be different here in Yellowknife, but the smaller communities feel that this is an issue. So, thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. To the motion, Mr. Nakimayak.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I agree with the previous speaker. I have a hard time supporting this, as this recommendation could be easily put into the following one, and it would take care of the same thing. I think the differences between the communities and the capital and other regional centres are very different, and I think we need to respect that there are many professionals who are working on this, I'm sure very hard right now, and I think mixing these two together would make more sense than having three and four together. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Nakimayak. To the motion. Mr. McNeely.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. I do have a problem with this motion here. Consulting with the four bands through the Sahtu Dene Council here in my area, I know they're interested in the commercial side of privatization, but given their interest in the terms of reference that may be developed for this working group, this may defeat the initiative. At the same time, what is going to be discussed tomorrow in supporting education and a timeframe allowing education? So I see their wishes, siding in my discussions with them, compromising or having difficulty with this motion here. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. McNeely. To the motion, Mr. Testart.

I'd like to close debate, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I appreciate, I certainly appreciate my honourable friends sharing the thoughts of the communities that they represent; however, I would like to point out that this motion does not call for the act to be changed to allow for licensed establishments for cannabis consumption, nor does it call for including high-potency cannabis in the act, nor does it call for edibles. All this motion is calling for is an interdepartmental working group to prepare for future regulations. Of course, this working group could produce advice that says, "Do not allow for licensed establishments," or it could go the other way, but to have an expert body within the GNWT to undertake this work and to provide advice to government and to provide advice to the standing committees, I think, is very important.

So for my colleagues who do have concerns around licensed establishments, I just want to reassure them that this motion does not call for their implementation; it merely calls for a working group to assist government and Members of this House in the future on these sorts of issues. If you could take that into consideration when you cast your vote, and please consider giving your support to this working group, so we can all be better prepared to deal with the future of legal cannabis in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Testart. The Member has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour please rise.

All those opposed, please rise. All those abstaining, please rise.

The results of the recorded vote are: seven in favour, zero opposed, nine abstentions. The motion is carried.

-Carried

Mr. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. There is a motion on the floor. The motion has been distributed and is in order. To the motion. Mr. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Throughout our travels, we heard the issue about enforcement being an issue, whether it was members of the public, community councils, or even enforcement officers. So they were asking these questions and, by having this committee, we can ensure that the new laws are clearly communicated and that we would be able to encourage discussion and information-sharing and provide additional supports to communities with limited resources, i.e. the smaller communities that I'm representing in my riding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. To the motion. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I want to acknowledge the additional information that we did receive from the Minister of Justice on enforcement, and we had a discussion around this in the clause-by-clause review. It does appear that our Cabinet colleagues and their staff have been doing some work to try to clarify the issues around enforcement, but obviously there's still a lot of confusion out there, and that's why I think this is a good idea and I will support it. Thanks, Mr. Chair.