Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for a long time many Members of this House, including myself, have spoken in favour of encouraging medical specialists to come north to practise their professions, to set up business in their home communities. We all know the travel for medical treatment is very expensive and compounds our already high health care budget. A quick review of the O and M budget will show that the amounts are in the tens of thousands of dollars for travel.

This includes dental care, as well. The sad and shocking thing, at least in one local case, Mr. Speaker, are roadblocks from this government's departments and threats of legal actions to a denturist who is attempting to do exactly what we've been asking. Why? Because the legislation which governs denturists, the Dental Mechanics Act, is outdated and silent on the type of work denturists can perform in the Northwest Territories.

Equally important to consider is that northern people have long suffered the pain and inconvenience of poor-fitting or broken dentures. We all know that good dental health is important, but so are proper appliances for those who have lost their natural teeth.

Mr. Speaker, northern people eat good, healthy food. However, good northern healthy food is sometimes very tough. Dentures break and because there is no dentist available, they must either wait for a dentist to come into their community, send the broken appliance out for repair or go without them. Unfortunately, all too many of our elders must suffer the indignity of going without their teeth. The indignity and discomfort of trying to cope without proper, strong and well-fitting dentures is unfair and should not be allowed to continue. But, what happens when we have a solution? The government threatens legal action. We now have a very qualified practitioner, trained in Ontario -- tops in his profession -- who independently established a clinic to serve patients, and the local dental clinics threatened with legal action if he practises not through his fault but because our act is nearly 20 years outdated and needs revision.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.