Mr. Chairman, I have a comment to follow-up on my colleague's questioning of the Minister with regard to drug and alcohol programs. My colleague made reference to the territorial drug and alcohol conference which has been meeting this past week. The group does not quite understand why the department is not placing the drug and alcohol issue as a serious priority. In their view the issue of alcohol is a serious problem. They do not feel the department is placing this whole issue as one of the top priorities within the department. It is not as high a priority as some that you have within the department. They do not quite understand this. They want to know why the department is not placing this issue as a top priority.

They are saying things such as, this problem which we have with regard to alcohol, reflects on housing, if people are experiencing this particular problem. There is a ripple effect from their problems with alcohol. The group from the conference are saying that due to this problem with alcohol, it is having a ripple effect through the whole system and touches many lives, and this issue should be placed as a high priority within the department.

Perhaps the Minister could make this whole issue a top priority for the government as a whole. It appears this whole issue is not being placed as a top priority for our government. It is one issue within the department which they are trying to deal with, however, it is not highly placed within the department or even in the government as a whole. So, people who are attending the conference are questioning that. They do not quite understand why the department is not placing it as a high priority. I would like to ask the Minister and her officials why the government or her department is not placing this particular issue as a top priority for the department and/or within government.