Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Minister touched on my next question a little bit, and that is in regard to privacy. I appreciate that this next question might be a little bit difficult to answer right now, but I am wondering if the GNWT intends to create an integrated information management system to better support NWT residents and prevent re-collection of relevant personal information, support networks, and support history. One of the things that I think could be really positive of that is people might be falling through the cracks at the same point a lot of times as they work through their crisis with GNWT systems. Without being able to kind of track the care that somebody is receiving, we might not be seeing important kind of consistencies in care and consistencies of where people end up falling through the cracks. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It would be great to have "one system to rule them all" and not have to worry about trying to mesh different systems together, but the fact is that it's difficult. We know that from systems that we currently have that do not talk to each other, and so we really need to know a lot more about what we are going to do. We really need a solid plan before we invest in something like that. At this point, there is not a plan to create this system, but we really do need to put in the work to make sure that we do not just spend a whole bunch of money for nothing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Finance regarding the liquor pricing review that is currently being undertaken. My question is: as part of that review, will the Minister increase the small brewery discount, thus lowering the cost of beer taxed that is produced in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The pricing review is not done yet. It is on track and on time, and it should be back by March. Once we have the information back, available to us, we will be able to make some decisions. Right now, beer manufacturing, of which there is exactly one individual, is receiving a fairly significant discount in terms of the typical markup that would normally be seen. Where they are at right now is worked on fairly significantly between that producer and the department, so I am confident, Mr. Speaker, that, when that review information comes back, we will again work with our local producers or local producer and figure out an appropriate way forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister's answer gets to my next point directly. I believe we are presently where the Yukon was about 20 years ago, where they had one brewery, and now they have multiple in multiple communities. They have opened a distillery. There is an industry growing with people working, northern labour. There are jobs existing. I hope one day I can stand in this House and another MLA can ask questions about local manufacturing of wine, beer, and spirits in this territory. My question for the Minister is: is there work being done to assess the barriers for expanding the manufacturing in this industry? I know right now that both the federal Excise Act applies as well as a number of different departments across the GNWT, and there is an extremely high capital barrier to anyone wishing to produce locally made alcohol in the territory. Has the department conducted a review of the barriers that people face in wanting to get into this industry?

This is one time when I want to give a simple answer and say no, but that is not a simple answer. I think it's really more as the Minister of ITI, in some ways, that I think I would be answering this question, which is really around barriers that small businesses, small- and medium-sized businesses, might have in order to open their businesses, become entrepreneurs, or innovate existing businesses. That is the kind of work that gets done regularly.

A couple of examples I would give right now: firstly, with respect to liquor specifically and the Liquor Act, to the extent that there may be some barriers within that, if there are, if that is the perspective of the industry, that review is about the get underway very shortly, looking at ways of streamlining and modernizing that act. The second one, Mr. Speaker, is the red tape review. There is a red tape review undergoing work right now, and I would strongly urge anyone who says that there is a barrier to this industry to respond in to that effort so that they are well aware of, in fact, what barriers there are so we can reduce them.

The reality is that anyone who is looking to brew beer in the NWT is never going to do it with local northern labour and get to a price point anything comparable to the large producers in the South. There are simply too many input costs to be competitive. When we look at the generous discount, as the Minister frames it, the price per litre that we are taxing beer at that is locally produced in the Northwest Territories is still not comparable to Ontario's microbrewery rate, for example. We are taxing them at a higher rate so that that beer will never be competitive with the Molson Canadians of the world, an example, who I might point out are currently locking out their union.

I think one of the ways to fix this would be to allow locally produced beer to directly sell to restaurants. Right now, if you produce beer, you have to sell it to the liquor commission and then buy it back with those taxes. If you want to sell beer in a tasting room, you have to sell it first and then buy it back more expensively, at a price per litre that just is not competitive and really never will be, given the cost of labour and doing work in the North. My question to the Minister is: as part of this pricing review, can we allow locally produced beer to directly sell to restaurants without going to the liquor commission to be sold first?

I think, actually, that is a regulatory question, and that then falls back to the Liquor Act review that is underway. The good news is that there is much work happening and many opportunities to affect change that will make things hopefully better. It has to be done in a methodical way and in a process-oriented way. One thing I have discovered in this role is that liquor brings out a myriad of different opinions about whether it should be controlled or whether it should be more open and whether there should be more production or whether there should be less production. It has to be methodical. We have to go out to the community. The Liquor Act review is going to do that, and it's going to ask some of those questions. Do we need to change the way people can buy liquor, sell liquor? Those are exactly some of the questions we will be asking in the course of that.

Thank you, Minister. Colleagues, our time for oral questions has expired. Item 10, written questions. Item 11, returns to written questions. Item 12, replies to Commissioner's address. Item 13, petitions. Item 14, tabling of documents. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 497-19(2) Corrections Workplace Assessment;" and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 528-19(2) Integrated Case Management." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 532-19(2) Environmental Remediation and Economic Recovery." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, motions. Item 17, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Committee Report 8-19(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on Motion 5-19(2): Referral of Point of Privilege Raised by Member for Monfwi on March 10, 2020; Minister's Statement 77-19(2), National Housing Co‐Investment Fund; Tabled Document 165-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 1-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 166-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 2-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 167-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT; and Tabled Document 286-19(2), Main Estimates 2021-2022.

Colleagues, by the authority given to me as Speaker by Motion 1-19(2), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hours of adjournment to consider the business before the House, with the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes in the Chair.

I will call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee, Mr. Norn?

Marsi cho, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to deal with Tabled Document 286-19(2), Main Estimates 2020-2021 for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and, if time permits, the Department of Lands.

Thank you. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. We will take a short recess and resume with the first item.

---SHORT RECESS

I will now call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 286-19(2), Main Estimates 2021-2022, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Does the Minister have any opening remarks?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, I do. I am here to present the 2021-2022 main estimates for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Overall, the department estimates proposed an increase of $4.9 million, 4.3 percent over the main estimates 2021. These estimates support the mandate objectives for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs while continuing to meet the Government of the Northwest Territories fiscal objectives to prioritize responsibilities and strategic spending.

Highlights of these proposed estimates include initiative funding increase of $3.3 million to increase the municipal funding for community governments. This funding will support both the capital and operations and maintenance funding needs of the community governments.

Forced growth increase of $1.4 million for grant-in-lieu, property taxes programs to support new government infrastructure in the communities of Fort Smith, Hay River, and Inuvik. Forced growth increase of $199,000 to support continued implementation of the Deline Got'ine self-government financing agreement. These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 19^th Legislative Assembly.

Taking action to reduce the municipal funding gap with the investment in this budget, our government has made strong advancement towards the goals of reducing the municipal funding gap by $5 million within the lifetime of this government.

Supporting the goals of Indigenous governments who have achieved self-government agreements by meeting our commitment under the Deline Got'ine Government financing agreement. Providing communities new opportunities to raise additional revenues by advancing a process for the transfer of lands within the municipal boundaries or to those communities who wish to take greater control of land management.

The department's main estimates reflect progress on MACA's key mandate objectives. I look forward to the discussion during the detailed review. That concludes my opening remarks. Mahsi.

Minister, do you have witnesses to bring into the House?

Yes, I do, Madam Chair.