Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I, too, support the motion but I would also like to say that some of the programs being delivered in the communities have to be looked at to see whether they should be continued. The trends don't change even though workers are getting paid to do the jobs. I'm hoping that the effectiveness of these programs is also looked at.
For anybody who is running a program in those communities, most of the drinking doesn't happen during working hours. It doesn't start at 9:00 in the morning, go to 5:00 pm and then stop. Most of the time, that is when the alcohol and drug workers are working. I would like to see that change. Maybe the working hours of those people should change so they can help the people who drink in the evenings and on the weekends. If programs are not serving the community and they are not effective, then the government should stop providing funding.
The other thing the government has to realize, too, is that we are going to be changing the Liquor Act. As much as possible, I would like to see the control of alcohol coming from this act, as well. The drinking age should be changed, perhaps. You should have a licence to drink, perhaps. You also have to look at the drinking hours for outlets, so they consider students. Students are not being affected by the act, but I would hope that we would be able to force changes so if the bars were closed at 10:00 pm instead of 12:00 am or 2:00 am, I'm sure that would have a positive effect on students, as well as parents.
In this comprehensive strategy, I hope the government looks at every possible avenue at their disposal to place controls on the consumption of booze. And I don't mean raise the price of booze again. There have to be other ways of addressing it. I hope that is one avenue, as well as trying to deliver effective programs in the communities. Effective programs don't operate from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
With that, I would like to thank Mr. Koe's committee for its support and I appreciate that we can discuss this at some length so that when the time comes, the government is not afraid to implement the necessary changes to make this effective. We need controls on consumers of alcohol to benefit not only the individual but also children.