Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since we have formed this government a year and a half ago, much of our time and energy has been focused on hydro development, oil and gas, and the diamond industry. I would like to let the people know that as a government, we are also very aware of, and concerned about, social issues; social issues that already exist and social change that will happen with the increase of economic development.

On June 18th, a Social Agenda Conference will be held in Hay River. I hope that this conference is not just another exercise we take without positive results in the end. I hope that this conference will give us a chance to move forward beyond the many reports and studies that we have done on social issues. I hope that from the meeting, we as a government will begin to put much-needed infrastructure in place to address these issues. We need to take concrete steps to prevent further social problems in our northern communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause