Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a real issue with that. I recognize that people have the option to put their children in junior kindergarten or kindergarten. Once they make the decision to go to junior kindergarten, or send their children to junior kindergarten or kindergarten, once they make that decision in September and the kid enrols in school, then the Minister is saying that kid can come and go as they please throughout the whole year; that, if they want to attend two or three days a month, that's still okay. I think we have to nail down that first before we start talking about even the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to start off with a question for the Minister on junior kindergarten. Although junior kindergarten is not compulsive at this time, I was wondering if, when they do get into school and they are signed up, at that point does attendance become compulsory? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Previously, the GNWT had a program for emerging managers or emerging directors, a program that placed some Indigenous employees into higher positions. I would like to ask the Minister: how many Priority 1 candidates are enrolled or have been enrolled in the emerging managers or directors program?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, around the time when cannabis became legal, I also know that it's legal for the RCMP to pull an individual over in a vehicle without having cause to do so, just to check. If it is possible to restrict the amount of alcohol that an individual has, I think that we will actually curb a lot of the bootlegging. I think we would be able to even reduce bootlegging in half. What's happening right now, I think it would be a good thing. I'd like to ask the Minister if there is any possible way to begin discussions, recognizing again that we're very late in our term, to...

I am also seeing the issues with it. I know that I have had many discussions with the RCMP, and the RCMP themselves, particularly one corporal who had a discussion with me, said that it was very difficult to go through the whole process of actually charging a bootlegger; getting a person to buy alcohol for you is just one step, and there are many other steps. I want to ask the Minister: I wonder, I recognize how late in the term we are, but if the Minister could start the department looking at maybe having initial discussions of perhaps surveying the people of the NWT, to have some key...

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. If there exist restrictions for one, there should be restrictions for the other. I believe that alcohol should not be sold without limits. There should be limits to prevent bootleggers from buying unlimited amounts of alcohol for illegal resale. According to many in my riding, bootlegging is a booming business. It is more difficult to charge bootleggers because there are no limits on the amount of alcohol that one can possess. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee wishes to consider Bill 26, Statistics Act. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The restrictions or the prohibition of alcohol does not seem to work, and we all know that. That is one, I think one, tool that the communities have done out of desperation, but they themselves have made the law to restrict alcohol. Yet, they are watching what is happening in the community, and it's largely because the bootlegger has no limit to what he can purchase, absolutely no limit at all. So, if there were some sort of a limit, and I am sure that most of the people of the Northwest Territories will agree, with the harmful effects of alcohol, that I think that this limitation has to be...

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I talked about cannabis and alcohol. My main reason for making the Member's statement is many constituents have come forward to see me during my whole time as MLA and complain about the bootleggers. I have a question for the Minister of Finance. I have some questions. My first question is: can the GNWT make laws to limit the purchase and possession of alcohol? Thank you.