Mr. Speaker, it has been 72 hours since I spoke about the Nahanni Butte and their need for a community gymnasium.
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I am not convinced that we are being heard. Perhaps a statistical approach is needed. Mr. Speaker, the statistics are not good. In Nahanni Butte, only 30 percent have graduated from high school since 1989. Both Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte have the highest rate of violent crime, which is over three times that of the rest of the Territories. The rate of juvenile crime is also higher for these two communities than elsewhere in the NWT. Core housing needs in Nahanni Butte are double those in the rest of the Territories.
The percentage of one-parent families is double that of the rest of the Territories. Nahanni Butte also has more dependent children per adult than the rest of the NWT, Mr. Speaker. All of these children have very little to do and nowhere to go, Mr. Speaker. They hang around outside the band office, and then they hang around outside the store. This is how entire childhoods are being spent.
But I believe and know, Mr. Speaker, that the addition of a gymnasium could do a lot to turn those statistics around. During the winter, kids could be inside playing games, learning new skills and learning to feel better about themselves. Adults could play games with their children. The community could organize indoor events and keep everybody moving, Mr. Speaker. We are told, time and time again, by this government that physical activity is the answer to all of our problems. Well, let's put that statement to the test and build this gymnasium in Nahanni Butte. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause