Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently the Department of Transportation committed to starting a highly publicized consultation process on drunk driving in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the department's efforts to deal with the drunk driving situation in the Northwest Territories. However, Mr. Speaker, it must be remembered that the only real power this government has is that it can change the licensing requirements for drivers in the NWT. This means that after a conviction on drunk driving, your licence could be revoked for a longer period of time and possibly permanently under the new proposals.
I fully support this government initiative, Mr. Speaker, however, I strongly believe that to change old habits and attitudes about drunk driving, there has to be an effective educational component to any program the department develops.
Increased penalties and consequences for drunk driving are important. However, Mr. Speaker, we cannot develop an effective anti-drunk driving campaign in isolation. We have to involve the community, we have to get to the kids in school and warn them of the dangers of drunk driving and we have to make it socially acceptable to take the keys away from friends, family or anyone should they wish to drive impaired.
Mr. Speaker, the police need to be supported in the fight against impaired driving. If you see someone driving drunk, you have a responsibility to your fellow residents in your community to report this person to the police. More and more people are now reporting drunk drivers and we need to encourage this through programs such as Crime Stoppers.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the day when drunk driving is a thing of the past, to when society's attitudes have changed and people who drive impaired would be viewed as socially inappropriate and legally put in the same category of people in public places wielding or pointing lethal loaded weapons at each other. Drunk drivers potentially use their vehicles as lethal weapons which do maim and kill people.
It looks, Mr. Speaker, like the Department of Transportation has made a good start. I commend the Minister and his staff for this initiative. I look forward to the legislative proposal that will come out of this consultation process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
--Applause