Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today we have focused upon FAS and FAE and the impact it has on government, schools, correctional institutions, the individuals themselves and the community. As Members of this Assembly, we have dealt with FAS/FAE for just a small amount of time compared to those who deal with it on a daily basis.
These are the people who live with the profound impact of FAS/FAE on a daily basis; the birth mother, the father, the adoptive or foster parents, the family, the teacher, the fellow student, classroom assistants, supervisors, the community and the affected individual, to name a few.
The support people in groups that work with people with FAS and FAE are often unappreciated. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the volunteers and non-government agencies that devote time and money in order to assist people with FAS/FAE and other cognitive disabilities.
The FAS community team has been instrumental in today's theme on FAS and FAE. Members of the FAS community team include representatives of the following groups: the Department of Health and Social Services, parents, public health, Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories, Tree of Peace, Yellowknife Women's Centre, Yellowknives Dene Community Wellness Program, Stanton Regional Hospital Pediatric Rehab Team, Mackenzie Regional Health, and the Northwest Territories Council for the Disabled Persons. My apologies if I have missed any of the other groups involved.
Mr. Speaker, in May 1996 the Status of Women Council of the NWT released a report entitled, Keeping Women and Communities Strong-Women, Substance Abuse and FAS/FAE, an NWT Needs Assessment. This is a valuable document as a source of information for FAS/FAE in the Northwest Territories. It sets out the groundwork for what should be done to confront our problems with FAS/FAE. Unfortunately, all of the recommendations within the document have not been acted upon.
Mr. Speaker, there are no statistics on the extent of FAS/FAE in the NWT. We operate in a void. The Special Committee on Health and Social Services, a committee of this House, stated in 1993: "We heard estimates of anywhere from 15 to 50 percent of the students..."