Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Transportation. Along the Highway No. 5 going into Fort Smith, we go through a fair amount of Wood Buffalo National Park. There has been a concern expressed to me by different trappers and senior citizens who may have been trapping along the park for some time, that the Department of Highways has not been clearing the road into their trappers' cabins. It is a policy of Wood Buffalo National Park that they place their cabin at least a quarter of a mile off the main highway. There has been some resistance from the highway transportation office in the community of Fort Smith to clear that right-of-way to the trappers' cabins.

I got the matter cleared up with the department, but since then it has snowed again and again and again. I do not want to have to be in the position of having to keep calling the department every time it snows. Will the Minister consider requesting his department to ensure that the roadways to these trappers' cabins are cleared, just as the highway is cleared on Highway No. 5?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take the time to commend the current Social Services Minister for taking such decisive action in respect to abstention by alcohol and drug counsellors in the NWT. I believe it is critically important that alcohol and drug counsellors, in order to effectively assist Members and individuals in the Territories that are having problems with the abuse of alcohol or drugs, be leading the way by showing an example. I believe that abstaining from any drug or alcohol is the perfect way of showing an example. I would like to commend him for this decision, and I am sure it will be to the benefit of many of the people who are facing this problem in the NWT.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to move to report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee would wish to defer our discussions on Tabled Document 3-12(1) and Ministers' Statement 2-12(1) until next week and would like to discuss Committee Report 1-12(1) and Committee Report 2-12(1). Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Baffin Centre, that Private Members' Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, be read for the second time. Mr. Speaker, this bill would disallow increases to certain indemnities paid to Members under the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, for a period beginning April 1, 1992 and ending March 31, 1993. Thank you.

On second look, Mr. Speaker, my motion is acceptable and does not require an amendment. I put this motion forward because of the fact that over the years I have noticed and I have recognized that the abuse of alcohol in our society has affected, as I stated in my motion, many families; and I strongly believe it is the stem of many of the social problems we face in the North. I am concerned that elected officials, as leaders, always want to talk about, always want to indicate, that alcohol abuse is a problem, but I also want to say that they are reluctant to take concrete action in respect to addressing this concern.

I believe that in order to address this as elected leaders of the NWT, we should set an example; and set an example by not allowing any types of functions that will provide liquor free of charge to individuals. I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not taking the opportunity away from individuals at government functions to have alcohol. They can certainly serve alcohol, but I believe they should pay for it and we should not be using public funds to provide alcohol at functions on behalf of the government.

Licences Issued Recently For Government Functions

Mr. Speaker, I requested some research in respect to the numbers of licences that were issued for government functions in the past couple of years. The NWT Liquor Licensing Board issues two types of special occasion licences. One is called a "resale" licence, which allows for any organization to purchase alcohol beverages and sell them, like a cash bar. Another one is called the "ordinary" licence, which allows an organization to serve alcoholic beverages without having to sell it. When I asked the Liquor Licensing Board the number of each type of special occasion licence sponsored by any government department, hospital board, power corporation, or boards of education, there were 44 ordinary special licences issued since December 1989. Now 44 may not seem to be a lot, but there were 44 functions that we allowed government agencies, boards, the Assembly, to provide alcohol free of charge to individuals.

In regard to special licences, it was substantially lower; it was 28. So if people had to pay for the alcohol, the licences issued were a lot lower. I do not think that is right.

Mr. Speaker, I was somewhat concerned, when you look at the community breakdown for the issuance of special occasion licences, which is a type of licence which is issued to any government department, hospital board, for special occasions, Yellowknife in itself had 18 ordinary licences issued with which they sponsored functions that people did not have to pay for alcohol. There were 18 different functions, and they had 15 where they allowed the sale of alcohol at these functions, a cash bar. Fort Smith had three ordinary licences, where they provided alcohol free of charge, and they are so generous there that they did not have any licences for resale. But in Iqaluit they had 16 ordinary licences, 16 free functions where alcohol was given free to individuals, and five resale licences. Hay River had one function with three resale licences. They must not believe in giving anything away free. But Rankin Inlet had four functions that they provided alcohol free of charge and four functions where the alcohol was purchased. Inuvik had one licence where the alcohol was provided free of charge, and they sold alcohol at one function. Fort Simpson had one function where they provided alcohol free of charge, and they did not get any resale licences.

Most government receptions, suppers and meetings in Yellowknife and in regional administrative centres would likely be held in a hotel or a restaurant, where generally wine is provided, and they would likely be held in a dining atmosphere. They do not need a licence because the hotel already has one. So it is very difficult to track how many functions like that were held, but I can imagine there was quite a high number of them. I would not even be surprised if they came into the hundreds.

Government Sending Out Two Messages Re Alcohol

Mr. Speaker, my point is the fact that we send two messages out to the communities of the Territories. We sent one message by basically stating that as a Department of Social Services we request them to provide funds to deliver alcohol programs to address the abuse of alcohol in the North. We are basically saying that we can give you money to address the problem, but at the same time it is okay for us as government or as a Legislative Assembly to hold functions where we can serve alcohol, and I believe that is wrong.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe that if we want to seriously address some of the social problems in the North, and if we want, particularly, to attempt to address the problems of alcohol abuse in the Territories, that we as a government and as a Legislative Assembly have to firmly believe that because of the problems we face in the North with respect to alcohol, if we want to have any functions that are sponsored with public funds, alcohol cannot be provided free of charge. People should have to pay for alcohol.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that Members of this Assembly are willing to take concrete action on addressing alcohol abuse in our society and to lead the way by setting an example and support this motion to discontinue the provision of public funds to be spent on the purchase of alcohol at government functions. With that, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker:

WHEREAS the problem of abuse of alcohol is affecting many individuals and families in the NWT;

AND WHEREAS if individuals continue only to talk about alcohol abuse and take no concrete action;

AND WHEREAS it is imperative that every action should be taken by elected officials to play their part;

AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly and the Government of the NWT should not be providing alcohol free of charge at sponsored events;

AND WHEREAS public funds should not be used to provide alcohol free of charge to people attending government sponsored functions;

NOW THEREFORE, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Baffin Central, that this Legislative Assembly adopt the policy that public funds should not be used to provide alcohol at government or Legislative Assembly events.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Prior to going through my motion I would like to put forth two minor amendments.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to Item 5, oral questions.