Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak on the need for the radical thinking by the Department of Health and Social Services on treating our people in terms of the addiction of alcohol and cocaine.
Mr. Speaker, early in my life as a young man, I was told by an elder to go out on the land if you want to do any type of healing, or any type of recovery, or just to look at life. I didn't understand what this elder was talking about.
His name is Fred Andrew. He has passed away. He told me this. Not until after awhile, Mr. Speaker, that I went on the land did I really realize what he was saying and the wisdom of his words.
Mr. Speaker, our people are from the land. My auntie said that. If you know the land, you know our people. If you know our life, you know our land. Again, it goes back to our land being a wonderful opportunity. It doesn't cost us very much. It is here. We are from the land. We learn good values. I have seen, as the honourable Mr. McLeod has said, he has seen people in the communities who have gone to the land. You can see the changes that they have taken overnight with them. They are just wonderful people. Something happens when they come back into the community. They change back into another personality, Mr. Speaker. You see the life on the land, taking people who have a life. It sparkles in their eyes, especially young kids.
Mr. Speaker, as MLAs and as Members around this House, we deal with alcohol in our communities. Even today, I had to deal with that issue. It hurts when you view it very closely with members in your community or your region. You see lots of people who get very sick and who die because of the alcohol.
Mr. Speaker, I say that to this government, this Minister and this Cabinet, look at the simple solution. We don't always have to follow one method. There are people out there who know how to deal with this. There are elders, professors, trained people who already know this field. They know our people. There are young kids who are out there asking for help. There are families asking for help. There are young children who cannot speak today who are asking for help. We have to do something radical and different. I hope, Mr. Speaker, that this government has a heart, as the MLA from Nahendeh has said. Thank you very much.
---Applause