Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is in regards to the whole question about community empowerment and, also, healing for the communities in regards to alcohol and drug programs. The government policy talks about community transfers to create opportunities in communities and more control and authority over programs for communities to empower themselves. Without trained, qualified individuals within those positions to take on those responsibilities, the communities will be lacking a very critical resource, which is the human resource, in those particular fields.

One of the fields that seems to have taken the most impact lately is the whole area of alcohol and drug programming, the Tl'oondih Healing Society, Delta House. Now, in relation to training those individuals to take on the role of helping the communities heal, we have to have adequate resources, and the people in place with the qualifications, who have received diplomas and have gone away for that training. Yet, we hear today that the Delta Cultural Institute, in relation to the training program that they have conducted into the alcohol and drug counselling program, is being cut. Yet, Mr. Speaker, the communities that I represent, have sent individuals to Hay River to take on this responsibility and assist the community in the area of healing. So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to know, what is it? Are we empowering the communities by giving the authority, or are we impairing the communities by not having trained resourceful people in those positions to take on those responsibilities?

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be asking the Minister of Social Services a question on this matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.