Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I wanted to speak to seniors' needs across the entire Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. I think it is certainly an issue that we are aware of, but I think as a government, we tend to pay more lip service to seniors' programs and seniors' needs than initiating real action. We know that our population is aging, Mr. Speaker. We know that we don't have enough housing for seniors. There is one specific group in Yellowknife, the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors, who have recently been continually lobbying this government and making the case for a specific dementia facility here in Yellowknife. I think in discussing this with some of my other colleagues, there certainly seems to be a need right across the Northwest Territories to look at specific dementia facilities.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, currently Aven's Manor cannot meet the demands of seniors in our community and it has not been set up with the specialized, I guess, training and the specialized facilities required to safely house seniors with dementia. This is certainly something that they have been...the message that they have been driving home to the Department of Health continually. I know they have had a number of meetings with our government, and I think we have to make sure that this request and this urgency does not fall off the table as we seem to be overtaken by other events in the healthcare field. This is every bit, Mr. Speaker, as important. We certainly need to increase the number of beds for dementia care right across the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I guess I am hoping that the Minister will give us some assurance and certainly do something, but give some assurance that this is not falling off the radar. He still intends to deal with this and try to meet the needs of seniors, because I think oftentimes, Mr. Speaker, this is a segment of our population that we don't pay enough attention to and certainly don't do enough for. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause