Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, last year, we announced the establishment of the Healthy Children Initiative, a joint project of the departments of Health and Social Service and Education, Culture and Employment. Through this initiative, communities receive money to enhance existing programs for young children and their families, or to develop new ones. Mr. Speaker, $3.75 million has been set aside each year for 1997-98 and 1998-99. Of this, $2.6 million is earmarked for communities, while the remainder is used to fund regional early childhood officers, college training programs, resource development and research and evaluation.

To date this fiscal year, almost $2.3 million has been allocated to communities. This money supports more than 100 early childhood projects. I would like to report on some of the interesting and valuable community projects that have received funding under this program. In Fort McPherson, the Tl'oondih Healing Society has received $6,500 to host a parenting workshop for two weeks. This workshop built on one that was held last year in the community. Aklavik, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk have combined resources to help young children improve their speech and language skills. These communities are working in close cooperation with regional health and social services boards. A community member will work with the regional speech and language pathologist to learn the different types of activities that help children improve speech and language skills. This community member will then be able to provide local support to young children and their families. Funding for this project was $24,000.

Other funding has included $13,000 to the hamlet of Pangnirtung to provide a parenting skills course; $9,000 to Pairijait Tigumivik in Iqaluit for a breast-feeding workshop; and $9,000 to the Susy Husky Health Centre in Aklavik to provide a workshop on fetal alcohol effect and syndrome. Regional support for the Healthy Children Initiative is important if communities are to fully benefit from it. I am pleased to announce that early childhood officers are now working in the Baffin, Inuvik and Kitikmeot/Keewatin regions. Officers should soon be working in the North and South Slave regions.

The vision of the Healthy Children Initiative is healthy children born to healthy parents, growing up in strong and supportive families in caring communities. It will form an important part of a comprehensive agenda for children and youth that government departments will be working cooperatively to develop during the coming year. This initiative represents an investment in our most important resource - the children of the Northwest Territories. The project gets started this month. Regional interagency committees will soon begin the process of considering funding applications for the next fiscal year for the healthy children initiative. I encourage each of you to support the healthy children projects in your constituencies. Let us work together to ensure a healthy future for our young people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause