Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, speaking of provincial trade barriers, alcohol is one of the most cherished areas of protection by provinces. That's why US beer, wine, and spirits are coming off the shelves because governments control what goes on those shelves for the most part in this country. Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure who to ask this to, but this direct sale -- direct-to-consumer sale system that's being proposed, can we get more details on that and how it will affect our businesses in the Northwest Territories that provide sales of alcohol to consumers? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is one that, again, straddles probably a couple of different departments. I am happy to say that prior to attending the internal trade Ministers' meeting, the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment and myself had the opportunity to discuss this issue and, indeed, we are sitting at that table, we are participating in this working group. At this point, the direct-to-consumer sales I understand is going to go through some reviews, some considerations to what can be workable, not only for us but for other provinces and potentially territories. We're at the table, and we want to see what could be workable for us as well. Thank you.
Thank you. And I know this is emerging territory, so my apologies to the Minister if this is coming fast and furious but, you know, we need to get some clarity here. We have a brewery in the Northwest Territories. They often struggle with our system, the commission system we have here. How will their business be affected by this new system that's being proposed? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's exactly the kind of question that we would like to have the time to examine before signing on to any sort of direct-to-consumer sale system. It's precisely for that reason, and likely precisely for that reason, that other provinces, although we're all committed to reducing tariffs and trade barriers want to just make sure that the businesses that we all represent are understanding what exactly it is that we're putting to them and what kind of opportunities we're creating. What we want to create is more opportunities for Canadian businesses, more markets within Canada for Canadian businesses, and to do that in a way that is supportive of the businesses that we represent. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. And thank you for that. There's certainly opportunities with these changes, but there could be risks as well. If our tiny brewing company is put into a national wide market, they might be, you know, washed out by all the other brands out there. So what did -- will the Minister -- obviously details are scant. But will the Minister make sure that in these negotiations, we keep in mind that we have an industry here that is chugging along -- it's their tenth year in place -- and make sure that they are one part -- well, that they are part of the conversation and that their interests are protected as we move forward to a Canada free of interprovincial trade barriers? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity, together with the Member for Range Lake, to meet with the brewery. I've met with them on past occasions as well. They're significant contributors to this community in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, and this is -- again, I do want to re-emphasize, not only to the brewery but any businesses as we're talking about reducing trade barriers, ourselves, territories, Atlantic provinces, we all have businesses that are small that may be concerned about what it means to open up, but this is an opportunity and we want to seize that opportunity, creating opportunity, creating more markets, engaging in internal trade, having trade tours that are about Canada. So, again, we want to work with our business community, make sure they see this as an opportunity, and that that's how we want to move forward with this change. So happy to continue to work with them and any other small business here so that they benefit from this opportunity for Canada. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.
