Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Member refers to groups that we partner with in trying to deliver our programs and we do find that it is advantageous to us as a department to partner with community groups and NGOs, because usually they bring with them a fair amount of people who are involved in the community first-hand and they also harness the resources of volunteers in a lot of instances. We really feel that when we partner with various groups that we get value added for what we are trying to achieve.

As far as what we are doing on the FAS/FAE front, my Minister's statement today in the House spoke to the early childhood development initiative, which we are committing significant resources to as a government. Some of the activities taking place under FAS/FAE, if I could just identify some of them for the Member. Eight communities, Fort Good Hope, Lutselk'e, Fort Providence, Wha Ti, Inuvik, Fort Smith, Yellowknife and Tuktoyaktuk are all participating in early childhood screening for developmental delays. The screening assists in early identification of children affected by alcohol before birth and other conditions. As I stated in my statement today, early identification is recognized as a strong protective factor for children with FAS/FAE.

There's also the FAS/FAE public education campaign that we are undertaking in partnership with the Status of Women Council and the Native Women's Association. This is a public education campaign focusing on the root causes of why women drink. The campaign has consisted of two television public service announcements, presentation folders, bookmarks, fridge magnets and a poster.

Mr. Chairman, there's also been a survey of Northwest Territories license outlets. They were surveyed to establish which points of sale offer pregnant patrons alcohol-free beverages free of cost. It was determined that the majority, 41 out of 44, licensed outlets did not provide this option and staff were unaware of the benefits of promoting alcohol-free pregnancies. In addition, licensed outlet operators interviewed did not consider this issue to be their responsibility or area of concern. So there's a lot of awareness that needs to be created in that area as well.

There is also my participation as a Minister, in the Prairie Northern Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Partnership. As Ministers of various portfolios, we get together. The Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, along with the three Prairie Provinces, get together and collaborate on our efforts so we can build on some of the research and program activity that the larger provinces have more money to pour into and we are able to benefit from those as well.

There is a fetal alcohol syndrome video that was put together by the department and assisted by the Yellowknife Association for Community Living. This is also a useful tool in creating awareness about the prevention of FAS.

I could go on with other programs, but suffice it to say, Mr. Chairman, without making the answer too long, there are quire a number of initiatives that are going on within the department right now to address the issue of FAS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.