Mr. Chairman, I believe the Minister responsible for Social Services has indicated that within the departmental responsibility there is a great deal of effort and attempt to deal with this issue. As the Member has indicated, he sees the priority placed within the department. The question is, why is it not a high priority or is it a high priority within the overall government? I know as we discuss issues and concerns everything becomes a priority. Maybe we should just have a line across that everything is a priority.
The problem with drugs and alcohol is that it is an outcome of a symptom of living and that there are certain poor elements of a standard of living which have to be met to ensure people feel as though they are contributing citizens, that they have the mental stability to deal with every day problems, and that they have an educational background to feel they can be competitive. One of the areas in trying to address those issues is that people's basic needs have to be met in order to make them functional citizens and individuals. The areas which have been brought to our attention many times is that people who feel they do not have an educational background, they cannot compete, do not feel good about themselves. They feel they cannot compete or make a choice. Therefore, people lean towards an escape mechanism which ends up being alcohol. If you are in a housing situation where it is overcrowded or you are part of the family group and you cannot get out, and there are no options for good accommodation to house your family independently so you can bring up your family in a style of value system you feel is important, at times you turn to alcohol. In the end, if you do not have a job to go to, a functional part so you can earn your own living, these are all contributing factors to why people seek solace and perhaps drugs and alcohol.
Alcohol is seen as a final -- I cannot recall the social word for it -- but, it is a place where you find a hiding spot because all these things are not working for you. You cannot get a job. When you want a job you do not have the educational status to get that job. When you want to go out and do something you are not equipped. There are no jobs. If you want to start a little business there is no opportunity. All of these issues contribute to why a person tries to find solace in alcohol, it gives you a false sense of security.
Why do people seek that avenue? I would say because housing is a priority. That is a drug and alcohol mechanism to get people out of that trend. Education, which gives people the tools to be self-sufficient and feel good about themselves, is a part of it. Then, we will not get in that situation because the drug and alcohol problem is the end result of how people feel about themselves. I think very few people go out there with the stated purposes of having a good time in many instances. It is just that it gives people a sense that perhaps it is not so bad after all.
However, we have to resolve the fundamental problems we have. It is not that drug and alcohol programs are not important, it is because the foundation of the problem has been identified as the living styles which people are presently in. Thank you.