Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the House. Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. Honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, this is a very exciting time of year. Over the past two weeks, graduation ceremonies have taken place at all three Aurora College campuses. Graduation ceremonies have started at schools throughout the Northwest Territories and will continue to take place over the next month.

Each graduation is a significant milestone in a person's life. We are very proud of NWT graduates and I would like to take a moment to congratulate them on their commitment and dedication. Many have made sacrifices to reach their goals and their efforts go far beyond academics.

While it is too early in the year for me to be able to report on the number of high school graduates, I would like to provide you with some highlights of the Aurora College graduating class of 2007.

I am pleased to note that 2007 marks the 20th year of operations for Aurora Campus in Inuvik.

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Mr. Speaker, this campus maintains a strong working relationship with the Inuvialuit and Gwich'in people, who help fund a variety of programs, including the Natural Resources Technology Program, short-term trades training and safety training. Fifty students graduated from the Aurora Campus in Inuvik.

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I would also like to recognize the 55 graduates from Yellowknife Campus and 31 from Thebacha Campus in Fort Smith. Students have graduated from a variety of programs including Management Studies, Recreation Leadership, Office Administration, Traditional Arts, Nursing and Nurse Practitioners.

Mr. Speaker, our Aurora College graduates this year came from across the Territories including many smaller communities like Tsiigehtchic, Aklavik, Deline, Behchoko, Fort Liard and Fort Resolution. Having students from various communities graduate in a mix of disciplines

shows the college is meeting the needs of a northern society.

Although award ceremonies for many apprenticeship and technical training programs do not coincide with the academic school year, I would also like to recognize the achievements of individuals pursuing careers in trades and occupations at a time when the northern economy is very rich and there is a great demand for skilled workers.

Mr. Speaker, all graduates this year deserve special recognition. However, I would also like to recognize the people who helped them reach their goals. Grads could not be successful without the help of their family and friends who have spent much time devoted to their pursuits. It's also important to recognize the many teachers and community members who stand behind every graduate. The countless hours they dedicate to the success of grads has helped them achieve their potential.

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Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of all our northern students and ask Members to join me in congratulating them. We all recognize the importance of education and training when creating a strong and skilled workforce. Education has a strong relationship to the health and well-being of society and contributes to greater satisfaction in work, life and community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Dent. Ministers' statements. Honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce a major partnership between the Government of the Northwest Territories and Canada Health Infoway.

Canada Health Infoway works with provincial and territorial governments to accelerate the implementation of electronic health information systems. A network of these systems will link clinics, hospitals, community health centres and other points of care in the NWT and Alberta.

Canada Health Infoway has agreed to invest $5.7 million between 2007-08 and 2009-10 to implement an electronic health records system in all communities in the NWT. The GNWT has agreed to invest an additional $1.1 million for a combined investment of $6.8 million.

Electronic health records will provide primary care providers with more complete and reliable health information about their patients. This will lead to better access to healthcare services for NWT residents, enhanced quality of care and a more productive health care system. Patient safety will be improved by linking our

practitioners to modern technology used throughout Canada.

Alberta Health and Wellness and the Capital Health Authority in Edmonton will continue to partner with the Department of Health and Social Services throughout the implementation phase of this project. The network is scheduled to be operational by March 2008, with final completion by February 2009. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ministers' statements. Honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker...(English not provided)

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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the Department of Transportation is issuing revised versions of three NWT driver manuals and is introducing the new Motorcycle Handbook.

The previous versions were close to 20 years old and out of date. The revised manuals are now consistent with other territorial and provincial jurisdictions and contain the latest driver information and techniques to ensure that drivers are able to safely operate all types of road vehicles in the NWT.

The four manuals provided by the Department of Transportation to NWT residents include:

1. The Basic Driver's Handbook, which provides information to all drivers.
2. The Professional Driver's Handbook, which provides additional information about driving commercial vehicles. It is used with the Basic Driver's Handbook when learning to drive a truck, tractor-trailer, ambulance, taxi or bus.
3. The Air Brake Manual, which provides information on the air break system and the components that make up the system.
4. The Motorcycle Handbook, which provides additional information on the safe operation of motorcycles, mopeds or power bikes. It is used with the Basic Driver's Handbook.

The four handbooks cover all classes of licences available in the Northwest Territories. They provide important information to help residents to obtain an NWT driver's licence and become safe and competent drivers.

Paper copies of the manuals are distributed across the Northwest Territories for a fee from our driver and vehicle licensing issuing offices. Digital copies are available for viewing and downloading at no extra charge on the Department of Transportation's website.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation would like to express its appreciation to Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation and Kingland Freightliner of Hay River for their contribution to the development of these manuals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) We live in the Northwest Territories in isolated communities, but we have problems with alcohol problems in our communities. Everyone is affected in the whole family when someone is drinking in the family and we know this problem exists all over the place. Although they go for treatment for one month, whether in Hay River or further south, the problem is the aftercare programs. They have nothing in place for these people. How can we help these people once they return to their communities? Do they have counsellors in the communities to help them? Do we have all the necessary things in place for them? A lot of them are serious about resolving their problem, helping themselves to keep away from alcohol. We need to guide these people through once they return from the treatment centre, but we don't have any aftercare programs in our communities. This is one of the questions I will ask the Minister later on. (Translation ends)

We all know that alcohol is an issue in the Northwest Territories. I would even venture to say that it affects every individual in the Territories. Without...(inaudible)...statistics, it affects addicts, their family members and friends directly and the rest of the community in terms of health care, policing and so on. It is an issue that concerns all of us, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, those suffering from addictions have two choices for treatment whether it be Hay River or a program down south. Much of their success, however, depends not so much on the actual 30-day program or 28 days, as on their behaviour upon returning to their communities. That's where we need to look after them. This is where we fail them, Mr. Speaker. The NWT has yet to provide adequate aftercare for those suffering from addiction so they can be supported on the road to recovery. Mr. Speaker, without aftercare support, we might as well pour their next drink for them. We are dooming them to failure. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Health and Social services at the appropriate time. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I want to join my colleagues in speaking about alcohol and its impact on the lives of residents here in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, as a government, we've had much discussion surrounding alcohol and other addictions

and the services we provide to residents. Mr. Speaker, we have to do more.

The common denominator in family breakdown, family violence, violent crime and the segue into other addictions is alcohol. As a society, we have normalized the consumption of alcoholic beverages to the point where much of our leisure type of activity involves alcohol to one degree or another. If we were concerned about portraying a positive message to the children and youth of the Northwest Territories, we must look at ways in which we can denormalize the consumption of alcohol.

The GNWT and the Department of Health has had a very successful campaign in the Don't Be a Butthead program. We have enacted tough laws dealing with the sale and distribution of cigarettes and we need to examine how we are going to legislate alcohol. Mr. Speaker, the government is finally getting around to the introduction of the much anticipated new Liquor Act.

One of the general themes stemming from the NWT Alcohol and Drug Program's discussion paper from last fall was that there needs to be more attention paid to health promotion and prevention programs. Investments need to be made and programs aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing the onset of addictions. These would be required in order to effectively combat alcohol and drug issues. The more children in the NWT that we can get into sports and recreational type activities, the better the chance they will have to choose healthy living. We need to get more physical activity into our schools and into our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the government for initiatives like the Get Active campaign which was kicked off today in the Great Hall. We need a campaign to target alcohol consumption, Mr. Speaker, and perhaps Don't Be a Boozehound could be the name of this campaign. You could have a dishevelled-looking dog with bloodshot eyes that has the shakes go around to all the schools in the Northwest Territories talking about the impact of alcohol abuse.

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As a government, we have to do our best to effectively deliver the message on alcohol consumption. We've done it on smoking. Let's take alcohol head on and do something about it. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a common theme we heard in our travels across the Northwest Territories in the last year or so, other than elder abuse, was the fact that a lot of people want to see an Aftercare Program for alcohol and people who are seeking treatment have a couple of options. They can go to southern NWT or they can go to the South. One of the big concerns I know from my region is, again, the Aftercare Program. When they do come back, there really is no programs in place for them.

Mr. Speaker, alcohol is a big part of the Northwest Territories and it's probably one of the biggest addictions we do have up here. Growing up in Inuvik in the '70s, alcohol was normal. With all the activity going on up there, alcohol was easy to get and it was easier to get than pop. As a result, many of the kids that grew up in the '70s ended up with problems with alcohol. If you wanted to seek treatment, you couldn't have it in your community.

The recent visit up to Inuvik, and I had some of my Social Programs colleagues with me, we were invited up the river to a camp that is being put together by the Nihtat Gwich'in and the Gwich'in Tribal Council.

It is a camp, Mr. Speaker, that has a tremendous amount of potential for the people wanting to deal with their alcohol addiction and deal with it close to home. There are some people without that support group that may find it easier to go south, but there are also a lot of people that want that support group with them. I commend the Nihtat and the Gwich'in Tribal Council for seeing that there is a problem and not just talking about it. We talk all we want. They see a problem there and they want to do something about it. Mr. Speaker, alcohol is a killer. Today, it is no accident that I decided to dress in black because black is a colour of mourning. I mourn all of those people that we have lost over the years to the effects of alcohol. Now, as a government, we have to work in partnership with the aboriginal groups who want to quit talking and finally do something about it. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, as you can see, we are talking about alcohol. I want to talk about alcohol abuse. We don't talk about it enough. Could it be that we have become acclimatized or desensitized to the presence of alcohol abuse in the North? Maybe we have accepted it as a fact of life in the North and we have just learned to live with it.

Occasionally, we throw up some stats on some of our social indicators compared to other jurisdictions or national averages. Yes, there we are still with some of the worst instances of premature deaths, suicides, motor vehicle accidents, boating accidents, teen pregnancies, FASD and sexually transmitted diseases. Alcohol abuse affects all of these indicators. Is this what we are prepared to accept? We spend millions of dollars addressing health, wellness, child and family violence, justice, policing and education challenges related to alcohol abuse. I often wonder how the RCMP members can stay positive about the work that they have to do, when we think about how much of their time and efforts are absorbed by alcohol-related calls to deal with domestic violence, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. It must be very discouraging after awhile.

So what does our society and attitudes toward alcohol abuse teach our young people? One other Member shared with me today -- and this is what they observed when they were growing up -- if there is something to celebrate, just about anything, drink alcohol. If it is a sporting event, drink alcohol. If you are unhappy, sad or stressed out, drink alcohol. Mr. Speaker, abusing alcohol is a personal choice, but it is little wonder that so many people make that choice when it has become such a normal way of life in the North. As a personal choice, people need to understand that it affects everybody in their sphere of influence. They are sending a message to everyone around them that it is normal, it is okay.

Alcohol abuse in some way touches on and permeates a life in every region, in every community, every family and every individual in the North today. It impacts the work of every teacher, nurse, RCMP member, counsellor and extensively affects the work of us as a government. What could we do with the resources now dedicated to the ravages of alcohol abuse? Just imagine the possibilities. We need to recognize alcohol for what it is. Mr. McLeod said that it is a killer. I have to tell you today that I state that I hate alcohol and the effect it has on our people. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, as well, will be speaking about the issue of alcohol. As a territory, we strive for a sustainable society and a strong economy. That is built on two key factors. You need a healthy environment and healthy people. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you, based on my 56 years of life experience, that the single biggest impediment, in my opinion, in the Northwest Territories to healthy people is the abuse of alcohol. I know that from my personal experience. I know that from working in Health and Social Services and from being Minister in this House to see the endless struggle we have trying to lower the indicators that tell us we have a prodigious appetite for alcohol and drugs. It affects all the other problems that we do have.

If I had one single wish for this territory, before resource revenue sharing, before decentralization, it would be first and foremost to ask that we be granted no more abuse of alcohol, and from that instant on life would change for the better in the Northwest Territories.

The issue for us is twofold. We have generations of alcohol damaged people, FASD, young and old. Our jails are full. Our family shelters are full with alcohol-related issues. That is one challenge. The other challenge, and even more important in the long term, is the prevention side by trying to have babies born healthy. Otherwise, as a jurisdiction like other jurisdictions across this country, we will never have enough money, institutions, treatment facilities, homes and jails to fill to keep pace with the alcohol-related problems.

The challenge for this government is in fact to make a dent on the prevention side. We aimed at increasing our expenditures in Health and Social Services on the prevention side up to 1 percent. That figure is going to have to continue to rise if we are serious about doing serious battle and improvements with these indicators.

Mr. Speaker, it is not as simple as tobacco, unfortunately. As my colleagues have indicated around this table here, that the reality is adult sports, for example, are all tied to alcohol. That is where the key components in the whole exercise, be it hockey, curling, baseball, basketball, you name it. Young folks see that. We know that there are families...

Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we know that there are cases where the adults drink upstairs and young under-aged children drink downstairs in the same house under the assumption that it is better to have them drink where there is other type of supervision. So the issue of denormalizing the use of alcohol is a fundamental one. That is our challenge.

As we move into the 16th Assembly, we are going to have to raise the amount of money we put into prevention if we are, in fact, finally going to make a dent on these terrible statistics. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.