Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Friday, May 31st, is World No-Tobacco Day. The World Health Organization theme for this year is "Sport and the Arts Without Tobacco: Play it Tobacco Free."
Our youth in the North are continually bombarded with media from the South; tobacco companies send many unhealthy messages to our youth as they view arts and sports events.
Cancer deaths in the NWT are rising. One of the major causes is tobacco use. Secondhand smoke is a major pollutant in northern homes and communities and is very dangerous to people exposed to it. Every person in the NWT can do something, right now, to prevent death and disease. Smoke-free homes and public places are a start.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see partnerships in community based health promotion initiatives like this. All of us must work together towards healthy people, families and communities. Thank you.
---Applause