What he said; what he didn’t say

Thank you for your coverage of the Nunavut Liquor Act Review Task Force’s community consultation in Iqaluit, Feb. 17.

I am a member of the Nunavut Liquor Act Review Board Task Force, which was established by the Government of Nunavut’s Finance Minister, Keith Peterson, to review the Nunavut Liquor Act and engage in extensive community consultations.

Quotes attributed to me in the story, “Iqalummuit want more treatment for alcoholism,” were taken out of context and misrepresent my comments.

The first comment, “The government needs to think about its entire approach when it comes to alcohol,” represents feedback we have been receiving from residents during our community consultations.

The second comment, “If [MLAs] are not doing that, get rid of them and get some people who will,” represents a comment I made directly to a member in the audience — during the Feb. 17 meeting— who said he felt that previous governments had not listened to the public’s concerns in the past and taken action.

I was responding to his specific remarks by indicating if he felt that government leaders were not taking appropriate action, as a voter he has an opportunity to influence a change in leadership.

The information gathered by the task force during the community consultations will be compiled into a report, shared with the government, and then incorporated into the new Nunavut Liquor Act.

I am honoured to be a member of the Task Force, and I commend the current government for their efforts to ensure everyone in Nunavut has an opportunity to share their views about the effects of alcohol and changes they would like included in a new made-in-Nunavut Liquor Act.

Dr. Isaac Sobol
Member
Nunavut Liquor Act Review Task Force

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