Question.

Question.

Question.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did support this motion, but how many motions are we looking at with regard to this? We do have many regions, and as we go along and the special committee goes to the Dogrib region and the South Slave region, they come up with these all these motions. I want to know if we are going to have studies done also? For example, fetal alcohol syndrome in the Deh Cho region, that is not the only place that has that problem, I am sure it is all over the place. The committee is going to move forward and as soon as they identify the problem in Fort Rae, they will make another motion, then another study will be done on fetal alcohol syndrome in that area, et cetera. Is that the intent of this board? Little by little we go along, instead of having a final report saying that we do have a problem in this area and there should be a territorial study done.

Mr. Chairman, rule me out of order if I am out of order, Mr. Chairman, but what is the department actually doing in this area?

Mr. Chairman, can I direct the question to the Minister with regard to what is being done in that area?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am in support of this motion. A couple of years ago we had a fetal alcohol syndrome conference in Fort Simpson and it was very enlightening for me because I sat through four days with different experts who came in from the south who have worked in this field. It is a situation that everyone here should understand and try to deal with. There is a definite need to get a good grip on this situation. This problem exists because of alcohol abuse in the first place. That is where the problem originates. The children that are statistics, it is not their fault that they are in the situation they are in. I take it that the clinical study is an assessment of each child. If that could be done in that whole region, it would determine, not only FAE and FAS, but it might determine other types of problems children may have. It might be a good thing to do. Once this clinical study is done, then where do we take this study? It is fine to find out and determine the number of individuals with this syndrome, but what do you do with the findings once you have them? That is what I wonder about.

This builds into the Department of Education and the school system. One of things I have been made aware of in this particular case is that not all the people who deal with children really understand the full effect of this condition that certain people have.

I agree with my colleague from Deh Cho, Sam Gargan, that this is not the only region where this problem exists. This problem exists in all areas where there is abuse of alcohol in the Northwest Territories, not only in the Fort Simpson and Deh Cho region. If this clinical study is done, it will help to determine the number of children affected in that region, but it should also be reflective of conditions of children in other regions as well eventually.

I think it is a good motion and that is the reason why I am supporting it. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The motion seems a little unfair to the Deh Cho region. It seems to imply that the Deh Cho region is a region of high fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effects children, and is made as a study area. Mr. Chairman, if we could change the Deh Cho region and replace it by saying "designated region" then I would support the motion. However, using the name "Deh Cho region" in a public document, seems unfair. We are, in fact, implying that the region has a high concentration of fetal alcohol syndrome. It does not seem fair. I agree with Mr. Gargan. If we can amend "Deh Cho region" and replace it with "designated region," then I would support the motion. It is a good motion except for this wording. Thank you.