Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before we approve the total O & M, I wanted to mention a couple of things on health. First of all, in the discussion on the AIDS situation, in my constituency, recently in the last three weeks, there was a tour made by an HIV positive young man and a registered nurse from Vancouver who were sponsored by the youth centre and the community of Fort Liard to go into the communities to talk about AIDS awareness. I think some of the funding came from the Department of Health. I think it was the best way that the department was able to spend this kind of money in the awareness area because there has been some real positive feedback from the communities that they did visit. They visited Fort Liard, Fort Simpson, Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake. In each case, people were very tense when they were coming into a community, but as the young fellow and nurse explained the technical nature, the cost of this disease and so forth, it was a very positive reception.

I have been told by members of my family who attended these hearings that they got a great deal out of it and it was the first time they saw somebody with this disease and someone talking to them about what kind of disease it is and their experience. Many of the younger people got a great deal out of it. There is a request to have more of this type of awareness, rather than having posters, television and radio ads and so forth. That helps too, but if they actually have a face-to-face meeting with people who have a first-hand awareness of these kinds of diseases, they become more aware, such as our younger people, elders and adults in the communities. I wanted to mention that this was money well spent in the whole awareness area. I want to make the department aware that if we could do more of this type of awareness, I think it could be well done.

I was told that the Deh Cho Tribal Council also had been working with the federal Department of Health and Welfare to acquire more funds to do a more intensive AIDS awareness program in my constituency. They are pursuing it on their own and acquiring funding from the federal agency to try to provide more awareness in that area. They see it as a very serious threat, health-wise, for people in the constituency and throughout the whole north.

Recently, I made a Member's statement about a retiring health person in Fort Simpson, Maureen McEwan. She has been with us for about 18 of the 20 years that she has spent in the north. People in the community feel that once she goes we are going to be losing a valuable asset to the health service in our area, because she has been there so long. The doctors come and go, but she was there the whole time. She is very dedicated to her work. We are going to be losing somebody there. Hopefully, we get a replacement who will be equal in her dedication and commitment to the health field. I just wanted to mention these two items with regard to health. Thank you.