Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this budget now before us attempts to sustain the initiatives that we have embarked on. If I can refer specifically, for example, to the addictions and mental health side to try to carry on with the third year of a plan that was agreed to following the report that came out -- The State of Emergency -- where there was great concern that the state of disarray and disrepair that we let those services fall into. We embarked on a plan and we've invested money and we've managed to tap into some of the federal funding to go ahead with year three. That is going to be an effort that we want to sustain.
We've had some success with some federal money again on the tobacco side. The tobacco strategy that we've come out with, the Don't be a Butthead campaign, the last count I saw in terms of numbers of commitments made by young children anywhere from eight to 19 or so is over 1,750. There is work being done in the communities this week, as we speak, in Fort Smith and Rae Lakes and one other community where they're going in. They've been going around the countryside with any number of creative, innovative ways that we think is starting to show results. In Yellowknife, the numbers have indicated that there's the start of a decline in smoking. We haven't had the same success in the small communities, but it's those types of sustained efforts that are going to see us through. We're working with Municipal and Community Affairs and with Education, Culture and Employment on the act of living and the physical exercise, and in the schools talking about alcohol and tobacco and right choices and healthy lifestyles and proper diet.
We're attempting to be as coordinated as we can with the social envelope Ministers. We're trying to do our piece on the health side, but it's sustained and it's long term and on the prevention side you may not see the success right away, but it's going to be over time. For example, if children don't start smoking by the time they're 14 or 15, chances are they won't start. It's those types of things that we have to continue to invest in. Thank you.