Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak to the motion today, as well. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to take a slightly different approach to this. I think everything we are talking about here today in this debate has to do with treating the symptoms of a much larger issue. I don't stand or sit in judgment of anybody who finds themselves addicted to drugs of any kind. Mr. Speaker, when we talk about treatment and we talk about wholeness and we talk about wellness of our people, we as a government take some great amount of pride in always avoiding the subject of spirituality. We always want to talk about anything about our people. We'll talk about their employability, their education, we'll even debate their sexuality and what rights they should have in relation to that.

But you know one thing that we really, really don't ever want to talk about is spirituality. I think, if I could be so bold as to say, northern people are very spiritual people. I think that when it comes right down to it, when you're talking about the wellness of our people, it comes down to one person who is willing to put something into their bodies that is obviously, as we know, very destructive and they make a choice to do that. That leads me to wonder what kind of pain, what kind of grief, what kind of reality they are trying to detach themselves from. What is it that they think about themselves and what is it that they think about their circumstances in life that would make them do something to destroy themselves? I have to tell you, it's unnatural. Again, I don't say this in any condescending way, but I would not personally knowingly want to do something that would be destructive to my wellbeing or to my life and yet people are doing that in masses.

If this was an issue of public safety, we fine people for not wearing seatbelts. We charge people if they let somebody smoke on the premises of a workplace, in a trailer on a work site. I mean, as a government we have all these answers to everything and yet we don't have the answers to the needs of our people. Far before they ever get addicted to drugs and alcohol and end up in a treatment centre they make a choice. They make a choice to partake in this kind of a thing which we know the outcome of is extremely destructive; not only for them, but on their families and on our communities and our society here in the North.

I would like to, I guess today, in light of this motion and in light of the problem which does seem to be growing in magnitude, and seemingly our inability as a government to respond to these people with compassion, I would like to encourage our government to take another look at why we -- and I say spirituality in the broadest context, I'm not saying it in a prescriptive manner, but everybody needs to be at peace with themselves and how they find that is their own choice as well. Mr. Speaker, I think we need to spend more time talking to people who have found their way out of addictions, who have found solutions, who have found answers. We need to listen to that. I don't think we should discard it when it relates to people who find spiritual wholeness, however they find that; whether it's through going to Alcoholics Anonymous and relating it as to what they might call a higher power or whatever. I think the people in the North have been exposed to numerous and a succession of very hurtful and harmful things and for whatever reason our statistics prove that we are more susceptible as northerners to these kinds of activities which are so destructive.

I would just challenge our government and encourage our government, when we talk about treatment let's talk about a whole person. Let's not just talk about their medical condition and detoxifying. Let's get over this barrier and this hurdle. We have to talk about the issues of how they feel about themselves when they're alone in the quietness of their own selves. How do they feel about themselves? What makes them want to destroy themselves? Mr. Speaker, I think that has to do with people's spiritual wellbeing and with that I will be supporting the motion. Thank you.

---Applause