Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the current and former Members of the Special Committee on Health and Social Services. This committee was established by the Legislative Assembly in November of 1991 in response to public concerns with the delivery of our health and social services. I am pleased to present the final report, entitled "Talking and Working Together."

We would like to thank the many hundreds of young people, men and women who helped make this report possible. Our goal was to talk with and listen to as many people as possible during the course of our review. We are grateful to the people in every region who attended more than 200 workshops, meetings and public events.

Special thanks are owed the dedicated front line workers who provide our health and social services under often challenging and stressful conditions.

Mr. Speaker, this report is dedicated to the residents of the Northwest Territories. We have heard their concerns and hopes on these important issues. We have tried to incorporate what we learned into our findings. And we urge our colleagues in the Legislative Assembly and the members of Cabinet to act upon the recommendations that have emerged from this process.

To begin, Mr. Speaker, it has become clear to the committee that the current delivery of health and social services in the Northwest Territories is not nearly as effective as it should be.

The committee believes the current system does not adequately reflect the needs and cultural diversity of our communities. Front line workers who provide programs are overworked, inadequately supported and unable to spend time working to prevent problems rather than treating them. Residents of the north expect this government to act quickly to address the problems and concerns they told us about. As a major part of this action, they want to see more local control in the planning and delivery of these programs which are so important in shaping their quality of life.

While this committee was authorized to examine all matters dealing with health and social services, we focused our review on several key issues and groups. We examined the way in which these services are delivered. We considered how certain factors beyond the medical definition of "health" affect our quality of life. These factors include housing, lifestyle, the economy and the environment.

Mr. Speaker, I draw your attention to the World Health Organization's definition of health as, and I quote: "a state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity." With this definition in mind, your committee examined issues of particular importance to several key groups in our society. These groups include elders, children and youth, and people with addictions.

We told the people of the Northwest Territories that we would take an open minded approach to these matters. At the same time, we explained that our objective was a system of health and social services that reflects six key principles.

Our system of health and social services must: meet the needs of the peoples of the North. It must be available to those who need assistance and it must be affordable. It must be relevant to the culture and healing traditions of our communities. It must encourage community involvement in developing and providing local programs, and finally, it must take a lead role in a strategy to promote wellness by removing the threat of violence and abuse from people's lives.

These are the principles that guided our review during a time of great change to health and social services throughout North America.

And now, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask my colleague, the honourable Member from Thebacha, Mrs. Jeannie Marie-Jewell, to continue with the report.