Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Members of the 13th Assembly, we have all made a strong commitment to community wellness. On establishing our priorities, we stressed the importance of giving communities the tools to improve the quality of life for community residents. As a Member of the Social Programs committee, I have supported the initiatives of the government related to community wellness in the upcoming budget. Mr. Speaker, it is easy to discuss community wellness as a good idea. However, it becomes more difficult to make it work in practice. This was reflected in the reaction to the community action fund available to communities last year as part of the community wellness strategy.

In Yellowknife, the funding was given to the city. Criteria were established. Based on these criteria, funds were given to different groups for specific projects. While these projects were worthwhile and should have a positive impact for some residents, there have been concerns voiced about the use of the community action fund. Some groups were unhappy with the criteria that were used. Others felt that this was a piecemeal approach rather than a plan for addressing the broad social problems within the community.

The people in my riding are very interested in community wellness, the developing of a community justice plan and addressing issues of violence and addressing problems of substance abuse and helping families become healthier. Right now, there are many different agencies and organizations providing services in Yellowknife that relate to community wellness. Some of these groups provide similar or complementary services. They all have good ideas and suggestions for making community wellness a reality. The problem comes in trying to coordinate all these different ideas and agencies. I believe that government funding and support for community wellness is crucial in all our communities, large and small. When the government provides support to a community, it must ensure that community residents gain the maximum benefit from the limited resources that we have.

During question period, I will be asking the Minister responsible for coordinating the community wellness strategy how he plans to address the unique challenges of implementing community wellness in our larger centres. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.