Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last year I had asked the Minister for Health about breast cancer screening and availability of portable screening equipment.

This weekend there will be a walk here in Yellowknife and other communities to raise the awareness of breast cancer issues. Mr. Speaker, the north is experiencing dramatic increases in the instances of breast cancer. In a recent summary report produced by the NWT Breast Cancer Working Group should be prerequisite reading for all Members of this House. The report was carried out in 1996. Sixteen breast cancer survivors were interviewed. At the time of diagnoses the women were 30 to 64 years of age and the average age was 46. Participants represented the cultural diversity of the Northwest Territories, two Inuit, two Metis, two Denes, eight Euro-Canadians and two new Canadians were included in the group. In Nunavut and the Western Arctic, we have begun to see increased awareness of breast cancer and increased incidence of the disease. Many of the diagnosed breast cancer patients are left in the situation with an uninformed and nonsupportive environment.

Mr. Speaker, there should not be any stigma attached to the disease. If this government would help with information and support breast health awareness programs as asked and recommended by the Northwest Territories Breast Cancer Working Group, then we will have made some progress. In Canada a women dies of breast cancer every 90 minutes. Mr. Speaker, if breast cancer is detected early, the five year survival rate can be more than 90 percent. The problem here, Mr. Speaker, is that since my questions on screening equipment last year in this House, very little has been done. Mr. Speaker, I was not aware of the issues surrounding breast cancer until a constituent came to my office in Iqaluit last year and explained the problems, loneliness and lack of community-based counselling. It was heart wrenching and the ignorance I felt about the disease is too wide spread. It was after that I asked about the screening equipment in this House that could help with early detection.

The report made by the NWT Breast Cancer Working Group has made several recommendations and later today, I will be asking again the Minister for Health for an update as to the progress the department and this government is making on this most important issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause