Tom Beaulieu

Marsi cho Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to again recognize the two Pages from my riding who are here working for us today. They are Alexa Mandeville-Pasowisty and Santina Vanloon. I would also like to recognize their chaperone, Meghan Adams. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move the chair rise and report progress. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I will be supporting this motion. I think, in the NWT, I noticed that for the people that I am familiar with where I grew up in a small community and that, many people started smoking marijuana to get away from alcohol because alcohol is devastating. Alcoholism is a devastating disease.

It was interesting today, in a news report, they talked about how the hospitalization of people as a result of alcohol is six times higher in the NWT than it is in the rest of Canada, six times, and we're worrying about spending a few dollars to close off one area of the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, just speaking in general terms about the bill, I found it interesting that, when we went around and did our tour, in general, we heard some mixed opinions on whether or not cannabis should be introduced, legal cannabis should be introduced, into the small communities. Essentially, all of the larger communities will have liquor stores, and there will be cannabis, legal cannabis, sold in the stores, in the liquor stores. In general, my feeling is that the government is introducing legal pot into some communities and is refusing to introduce legal pot into...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was more or less asking that the responsibility be brought back to Lands for the purpose of negotiations.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if there was any discussion at all during negotiations about the tax bills, if there is any specific table that he is involved with or his department is involved with on the taxes that are accumulated in the communities by the residents of the non-tax-based communities. Thank you.

Prior to devolution, April 2014, the federal government had responsibility for the federal lands, or Crown lands, it was referred to as, in which harvesters were on the land with cabins harvesting whatever, whether it be furs or they were hunting or berry-picking or fishing, whatever the people using the cabins were doing. The federal government was not taxing them. I would like to know why the decision was made to start taxing cabins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize two Pages from my riding, two Pages from Fort Resolution, Alexa Mandeville-Pasowisty and Santina Vanloon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this is a complex area, and considering we are talking about, I suppose it's the Criminal Code of Canada, and that it would take some doing. That is the reason we are calling for this government to work with the federal government. It is certainly not a simple procedure. It is not a simple procedure, like I said. It will involve more than just a criminal record of an individual who could have a charge or two for possession of marijuana, but then, it's quite possible that individuals have other criminal records. We really have to clearly define which...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chairman, committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 7-18(3), Report on the Review of Bill 6: Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Implementation Act. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to ask the Minister of Lands if it would be possible to take all of the tax bills and return them back to the Department of Lands so that department can deal with the individuals. What is happening now, Mr. Speaker, is that it is de-linked because Finance has now taken responsibility for it.

Finance doesn't know the reason why the tax is there, how it built up, nothing at all. All they know is that there is a bill and they are going out to collect it. I would like to know if the Minister of Lands can talk to the Minister of Finance and transfer that responsibility back to Lands so...