Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of my first actions in this legislature was to table a petition asking for alcohol and drug treatment services in the Dogrib region. The petition contained over 600 signatures. I have continued to bring up this issue for over three years. Throughout the North addictions are known as the number one social problem. Mr. Bell pointed out in his statement on Friday that here in Yellowknife 90 percent of the RCMP workload on call-outs is alcohol related.

Mr. Speaker, Yellowknife has been called a magnet community because many people from the communities are relocating here in hope of finding work or homes, as there is little to none in some of the communities.

The high cost of living and lack of affordable housing is creating a growing group of people who are either homeless or highly stressed because of the difficulty in finding accommodations. This is not a healthy situation, Mr. Speaker. As well, it is not unusual for people who have left the communities to attend a 28-day treatment program, to wind up on the streets because there are no support programs or structures in place in the communities.

Despite clear signals that addictions are our most chronic and prevalent social problem, the government's response has been at best minimal. There is still little to no funding. But as we see, this does not make the problem or the need to address it go away.

Mr. Speaker, the problem is growing. Hard drugs, such as crack cocaine, are becoming easier to access than pot. I've also heard tragic stories of youth addiction and of marriages being destroyed. I know that there are people who say that addicts have to take responsibility for their own actions. I agree. But I also think that as a government we need to ensure that services are available for people who want to address their addictions and create a healthy life.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions on this matter.

---Applause