Thank you, Minister. Motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 52 has had second reading and is referred to a committee.

Second reading of bills. Minister responsible for Finance.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 53, an Act to Amend the Liquor Act, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Liquor Act to continue the Liquor Commission as the Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission;

• Include the regulation of cannabis in the Commission's list of duties;
• Reinforce the separation of enforcement and adjudication responsibilities under the act by removing the supervision of enforcement actions from the Executive Secretary's duties;
• Remove provisions disqualifying persons from licensing eligibility on the basis of being charged with but not yet convicted of an offence; and.
• Clarify the rules pertaining to the personal importation of liquor into the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess the list of amendments are pretty innocuous and I'm not all that opposed to them. But I do want to speak to -- I think is an absolute priority that this Assembly amend the Liquor Act. I know the department did a What We Heard, did some engagement, and has gotten that feedback from the public which we hopefully will see soon. And it raises some very significant questions about how we're going to update our outdated liquor regime in this territory. Clearly this bill does not do that. But I grow concerned by introducing this amendment to the Liquor Act. It is essentially a concession that we will not make any significant changes to the Liquor Act in the life of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North.

The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 53 has had second reading and is referred to a standing committee of the Legislative Assembly for review.

Second reading of bills. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, Bill 23, 29, and Bill 40, Committee Report 29-19(2), Tabled Document 657-19(2), Tabled Document 658-19(2) with the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes in the chair.

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Madame la Presidente. Committee wishes to consider Committee Report Report 29-19(2). Mahsi.

Does committee agree?

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

---SHORT RECESS

I now call Committee of the Whole back to order.

Committee, we've agreed to consider Committee Report 29-19(2), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of Languages Commissioner for the Northwest Territories Annual Report 2020-2021. I will go to the chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations for any opening comments. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee's report was read into the record on Thursday, May 26th, 2022. The Standing Committee on Government Operations has reviewed the 2020-2021 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner. The Official Languages Act requires the Commissioner to prepare an annual report. The report includes information on the number of complaints filed. It can also include recommendations. The Speaker tables the report in the Legislative Assembly. Once tabled, committee reviews the report.

As part of the review the languages commissioner, Ms. Brenda Gauthier, appeared before the committee on February 17, 2022. She delivered an excellent presentation on her 2020-2021 Annual Report. The committee commends her work to relocate the Office of the Official Languages Commissioner to Fort Smith as well as her work building relations to understand and promote language rights.

Individual Members may have comments on the report, and I would like to thank the committee for their work on this. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. I will now open the floor to general comments on Committee Report 29-19(2), Standing Committee on the Government Operations Report on the Review of the Languages Commissioner for the Northwest Territories Annual Report 2020-2021.

Seeing that there's no comments -- Mr. Johnson.

The motion is in order. To the motion? Member for Frame Lake.

Yes, thanks, Madam Chair. I know even in the last Assembly, the last official languages commissioner, there was some confusion over who the recommendations should actually go to and who is responsible for acting on them. And in some previous language commissioner's reports there was some criticism leveled at the Legislative Assembly itself for not acting on recommendations from previous reports. And I think there was some misunderstanding between the executive and legislative branches of government. You know, if recommendations from the official languages commissioner would come to the Standing Committee on Government Operations but the government OPs committee doesn't write legislation, can't make changes to the legislation itself unless someone wants to bring forward a private Member's bill, and maybe that's something committee might want to think about at some point. But anyways, there was some confusion over who actually is responsible for responding to recommendations and actually following up on this. And I do believe that those are the responsibility of the executive branch. So that's what I think this recommendation is aimed at, and I'm sure we can clarify that in the legislation moving forward as well. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. To the motion?

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining?

---Carried

The motion is carried. Mr. Johnson.

Madam Chair, I move that this and committee recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment strengthen the languages commissioner's ability to get requested information from public bodies including time-bound requirements to respond to requests. Thank you, Madam Chair.