I just wanted to determine the possibility of the holistic approach that was suggested here by one of the presenters being implemented. Is this government going to be supporting communities that want to take that route? Is there going to be something similar to the community healing approach to deal with all the problems within the community, rather than sending people away for treatment and then bringing them back? If that is the direction that we're going, that's great. We should work in that direction.

The other thing I would like to mention is about elders. We have problems in my constituency, especially in the community of Simpson where elders have been abused. It is the younger people who seem to be the problem. In talking to the elders, they are saying the younger people aren't listening to the elders any more. After they have been sent away to school, they don't know the language and don't know how to be Dene, for example. They don't listen to their elders any more. That seems to be a problem. There is a loss of a cultural connection. Respecting elders is a key cultural thing. A lot of us are teaching that to the younger people who are around us but some of them don't get taught that and, as a result, there are problems.

I'm trying to say that the breakdown of the cultural connection is a key problem. It's a difficult situation. We have to give more authority to people at the community level to deal with it on their own. Whenever someone is abused, you have to depend on the RCMP to do the enforcement. Why can't community people do it themselves? When they try to do that, they are offending the RCMP and the RCMP don't want you to do any enforcement on your own. The Dene cultural society is breaking down further and you can't protect your elders, women and children any more. You have to depend on the RCMP to do it. It is getting more and more difficult in this area.

I just wanted to make the comment that we have to protect our elders. That is something we should do in the Legislative Assembly immediately. I would support something that would do that, as soon as we can. People are saying we should put our money where our mouth is. As an MLA and as a former chief, I've always maintained that the people elect us because of who we are and not who we pretend to be. I think that goes in here.

One of the conditions in this declaration which is pretty strong is that if we get convicted, we should resign. That's a pretty powerful statement to make. I think it will show people in the north and in the communities that we are very sincere about the issue of violence in the north, if we take this position. I have no problem with it. I've always lived by that principle in the past. It is nothing new to me. I would support something like that. Mahsi. Thank you.