Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is anticipated that the strategy will be finished by April 2001. That may seem a ways off, but we do have to do some groundwork to ensure that we get things right. One of the those things is a Mental Health Needs Assessment Survey, so that we can assess the magnitude of the problem and come up with areas where we might access resources for this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

That does seem a ways off. I am glad to hear that they are doing a needs assessment survey. Can I ask the Minister if the department is doing this in isolation or if they are actually consulting with communities and with NGOs? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a Territorial Steering Committee has been set up, and it involves representatives from the Department of Health and Social Services; Education, Culture and Employment; health and social services boards; the Canadian Mental Health Association Northwest Territories Division and community-based drug and alcohol projects.

So we are seeking input and direction from these other organizations and partners. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Final supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you. I am glad to hear that. Given the urgency, and that April 2001 is certainly a ways off, I am wondering if the Minister has looked at reopening some of the facilities we so desperately need before that time? I do not think we can wait, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said previously, the government does make significant investment in dealing with mental health and addictions issues at this time. Those initiatives will continue in the interim, and probably will not be enhancing the level of services now until we complete this strategy. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 6, oral questions. The Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are three of four points that the Member brought up, and I will try to address them.

First of all, have my staff ever driven the highways? There is no doubt, Mr. Speaker. That is one of the requirements of the highway foreman position, that he must actually drive those highways to envision the highway conditions himself. Based on this, it means a lot as to what sort of maintenance he would then put in place to address the conditions of the highways that he has experienced.

As to whether or not Highway No. 3 is in better condition than Highway No. 4 is certainly a matter of opinion. It is like horseracing. Everybody has a different opinion of it. If you were driving Highway No. 4 every time, I would have complaints steady to my department from people living out on Highway No. 4, that Highway No. 4 is in very rough condition. They would say Highway No. 3 is in good condition.

I do not know. The department tries to respond and I take comments that the highways are not safe quite seriously. This is the second such comment I have heard in the last few days. I must say that I immediately contacted my department when I heard these comments. We are of the opinion, Mr. Speaker, that these highways are safe if you stay within driving conditions and adjust your speed accordingly.

We must emphasize that we cannot always immediately address potholes as they appear, because it takes time to respond considering the amount of personnel and equipment we have to do these jobs. We do make every effort to assure the highways are passable and safe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to assure the Member and the House, that I do not believe that my staff needs me riding on them all the time to ensure they do their job. I believe they do their job. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the question is not clear to me. I wonder if I could ask the Member to repeat his question.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Lafferty, if you could just ask that same question again so the Minister will understand it. We will not dock you for it.