Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past weekend, over 950 kids representing over half of the Northwest Territories communities participated in territorial schools' Spike It volleyball tournament in Yellowknife. Over 12 teams from Fort Smith alone attended. I am especially pleased to recognize this because I believe not enough has been discussed in this House about preventative measures for community wellness.
Mr. Speaker, I truly believe that individual wellness must go hand-in-hand with economic wellness, otherwise all the economic prosperities we may gain from oil and gas and diamond development will be without any meaning or value.
Mr. Speaker, this week we talked about addictions and we have had government strategies and proposals discussed in this House throughout our past three sessions, but what we do not seem to have is an overall approach, a common thread or focus for preventive efforts. I would like to call on the government to focus more on this important connection.
The point is, Mr. Speaker, there is a strong evidence that boys and girls involved in organized team sports keep healthy and stay out of trouble. This includes eating healthy and laying off cigarettes, drugs and alcohol. Further, it has been found that boys and girls involved in sports have increased self-esteem, lower drop-out rates, get better grades and are more likely than non-athletes to go on to a four-year college or university.
Mr. Speaker, organized sports such as Spike It, Arctic Winter Games, Aboriginal Games and Super Soccer events clearly demonstrate ways the GNWT can successfully become more involved in promoting health and social wellness. Since there is already the interest and infrastructure, additional support for organized sports is a common sense approach for this government to take, that which will give us value for our money. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause