Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, before I get into my statement, would like to express my condolences and send my prayers to the families of Vince Steen, our former colleague and someone I really enjoyed working with, as well as the families of Laura Lennie, mother of our colleague, Norman Yakeleya, and a lady who was highly respected and very wise, as well as the families of Danny Gordon of Aklavik, a father of another well-known leader, Evelyn Storr.
Mr. Speaker, the Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre on the Hay River Reserve has been a vital part of the alcohol and drug treatment and healing program in the North for many years. However, over the last number of months, the doors to the centre have been closed and the workers of the centre have been locked out. Mr. Speaker, I must say this has been going on too long and it just has to end.
Mr. Speaker, this has been especially difficult for the workers. Some of them were in Yellowknife in mid-January and I was happy to accept their invitation to meet with them. We have also been receiving a lot of e-mails and correspondence from constituents, for me anyway, in and out of Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, I must say I am more optimistic now about the dispute and possibility of that resolving than before, because we know that both parties are back at the table talking. As is the case with any labour dispute, there is always hope as long as the parties are talking. This hasn't been the case for a long time and I feel that we are close to, and I am hoping that we are close to, some kind of resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I also believe that both the union and the Nats'ejee K'eh board have the best interests of the workers in mind as well as the need to provide the
programming. There is no question this is a very difficult issue. It involves a lot of jurisdictions even though it involves a union that is a union for the government but it is not really a government program. There are a lot of layers and authorities and jurisdictions. Having said that, I think it is in the interest of all of us that this centre gets reopened and the programs be provided. Most of all, my sympathies go out to the workers who are really just wanting to get back to work. I would like to urge all the parties to keep talking until they resolve this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause