Thank you, Mr. Braden. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would make my comments to the other Members in terms of this issue here. Mr. Speaker, this issue is very close to my heart. Mr. Speaker, I have seen many good people in my communities, in the region, people in the Northwest Territories, a lot of good people who should be here in the Northwest Territories enjoying life. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the disease of alcoholism had gotten them. Mr. Speaker, I speak from personal experience that when we have alcoholism in our communities, you know, it takes away life, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's not a good feeling in our small communities.

Mr. Speaker, alcohol is going to be here for a long, long time. The effects of it are felt very hard in our small communities. Our government, this government here, makes millions in profits each year on this issue here.

Mr. Speaker, you know, there's people in my communities that, for some odd reason, they can take a drink and that's good. Take one drink and that's good, and they leave it. But, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I'm just the totally opposite. I get mad; I get angry. But, Mr. Speaker, I recognize and I accept I have an issue with alcohol in my life. And life is about life, Mr. Speaker. These young people that are drinking, it's about life. They're taking their life. A lot of young people really, really need to look at that issue here. Hopefully through this discussion here, we can give life back to them. Take them on the land. That's what the elders are saying. Put them on the land. As life is spiritual, and alcohol is a spiritual issue, you have to have a spiritual remedy for this here. It's not about putting them in programs or it'll help them somewhat, but for the people. Put them on the land, Mr. Speaker. I have seen it firsthand, in terms of how alcohol affected my people, my own family, and my community. It's sore, my heart is heavy in this discussion here, talking about alcohol.

So, Mr. Speaker, I applaud the Members for making this a theme day and hoping that the government's listening in terms of our discussion this afternoon. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I also rise today to raise some awareness about the responsibilities of both the public and the government when we're addressing the social impacts of alcohol abuse here in the North, especially amongst our youth. Mr. Speaker, northerners have been living with the impacts of alcohol abuse in all our communities for many years. Many communities have groups and leaders that have come forward with many solutions on how to deal with this issue. Some have had some positive results, some negative, and some have not had any effect on curbing alcohol abuse within their respective communities. I'd just like to point out, Mr. Speaker, and commend all persons working toward an alcohol-free community, workplace or family, that your efforts do not go unnoticed, nor are they in vain. Because every little bit of awareness raised and addiction to alcohol avoided is success in my books, Mr. Speaker, especially for our youth.

The youth are the most at risk. It is with our youth that the effects of alcohol abuse are most noticeable because this often results in grief, pain and sorrow for families and communities by youth suicides, attempted suicides, assaults and other crimes related to alcohol.

Mr. Speaker, the real challenge for many -- and many do try -- is to try and provide some positive direction and instil a sense of dignity to our youth while, at the same time, trying to deal with our own demons. This is where we all have to have a responsibility to provide the support and encouragement to keep trying and help these people to never give up. We, as a government, need to continue to develop a campaign that puts more emphasis on programs that contribute to social well-being, like sports and recreation, education, and family planning, while, at the same time, denormalizing alcohol use in our daily lives so that one day our youth can stand up and declare to themselves and their family and to their friends that alcohol use is not normal for them and in their surroundings as it was in the past. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues here today to declare alcohol abuse and alcoholism our public enemy number one. Mr. Speaker, there's nothing else that harms us more and creates more sorrow and hardship and prevents us from moving ahead and being the best that we can be than the overuse and abuse of alcohol. Inappropriate use of alcohol is condemning unaccounted numbers of our children to lifelong conditions of FASD and FAE. Alcohol abuse is keeping our residents out of schools and workplaces and into hospitals and jails. Alcohol abuse is a quick segue to our people going into a horrendous and miserable life of drug addiction and drug dealing and all the other problems that come with that.

Mr. Speaker, alcohol abuse is infecting our people with STD and STI and spreading those diseases. Mr. Speaker, I would venture to say if alcohol abuse was stopped today we would see our crime rates go down by at least 90 percent. If we can stop alcohol abuse, we would not have to hear about women being locked up for days and being raped and beaten up. Mr. Speaker, we wouldn't need to have so many children suffering from the trauma of family violence if we could stop alcohol abuse.

Mr. Speaker, in our travels to communities we learn that there is rampant elder abuse arising from alcohol abuse by young people. Our seniors are living in fear because of the goings on and all-night drinking that goes on in our communities.

Mr. Speaker, we must deal with alcohol abuse head on and we need to address them on all three fronts: prevention, treatment and enforcement. The strongest focus has to be on prevention, because no treatment and enforcement would be enough if we don't address the prevention in a very serious way. Mr. Speaker, this is why we need to denormalize abuse of alcohol. We have to make it unacceptable for people to get drunk and inflict pain and suffering on others. Mr. Speaker, I want to suggest a slogan of Don't Be a Bottlehead for consideration to go with the Don't Be a Butthead campaign, but I kind of like the...

Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement?

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I'm not sure how that would compete with Don't Be a Boozehound, but we need to do a concerted and focussed and well-resourced campaign and to engage everybody in our communities and everybody in the Territories to say that we have zero tolerance for alcohol abuse and negative effects of alcohol. Mr. Speaker, I would like to invite the leaders and everyone in our territory to join us in this campaign. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statement. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish I could be talking about the abuse of alcohol today...(inaudible)...with my colleagues, but with a short session I have another topic I have to raise today that's very important. March 31st is always a significant date in the NWT and it's the end of the government's fiscal year. As well, it coincides with the end of many contracts that go along with our NGOs. Today I'd like to talk about one of those contracts, or lack of contracts, Mr. Speaker.

Workers at Aven Manor in Yellowknife saw their contract expire six weeks ago, on March 31st. These qualified healthcare professionals and associated workers, even though they work for an NGO, in my opinion, deserve

wage parity with government workers who care for people in long-term care in our hospitals. They are working in the same field and, in essence, they are doing the same job, Mr. Speaker, taking care of our people. For me, this is an issue of fairness and ensuring NGOs are able to attract and retain qualified personnel. If we can't pay them fairly to do a job the government has handed away, how can we expect them to carry on? I am not going to get into how the government and the department need to enter into good faith bargaining sooner rather than later, but with a pending strike vote before us we need to avoid another Nats'ejee K'eh at all reasonable costs. I know the Minister will tell us that negotiations are the responsibility of the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority and the authority will say that they can't make an offer without funding approvals from the department and the Minister. But the long and short of it is, Mr. Speaker, we need to put our front-line healthcare workers first and ensure that any potentially affected seniors, people and our families, are not put at risk because of dithering on this important matter. We need to avoid any costly situations that will eat up resources and the time of other healthcare workers who will need to work overtime to cover those short-staffed positions if the potential gap in services shows up through a strike vote. If any wage parity is an issue, we need to find a solution, Mr. Speaker. I would, however, like to remind the Minister that a strike vote could happen within a month or so and typically these situations are never resolved over summers.

Let's avoid another potential ugly strike and work out a deal as soon as possible as reasonably as possible, Mr. Speaker. That being said, I urge the Minister and the Department of Health to provide the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority the support and financial information they need to enter into successful negotiations so we can deal with this problem and we can get it done once and for all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, I'd like to draw your attention to three visitors in the gallery today: Mr. John Quirke, a former NWT deputy minister and is now the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly for Nunavut.

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Tony Rose is the manager of facilities and technical services with the Nunavut Assembly.

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Jerry Giberson is a communications and technical consult from Ottawa.

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These gentlemen are here in Yellowknife today to work with members of our staff towards the implementation of a joint northern assembly broadcasting service. Welcome to the Assembly, gentlemen.

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Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a number of people to introduce, a number of constituents and employees from Aven Manor. I'll start with Jacqueline Brule, employee and local president; as well as Victoria Duculan, Sue Beztilny, Eva Embodo, Bella Husky, Evelyn Sabourin, Sheila Laity and Gloria Taylor. From the PSAC office I have Dorothy Ablitt, Marija Babic -- I think that's right -- and Heather Longstaff. I hope I got everyone's name correct.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize a constituent of mine, Mr. James Andre, who's in town for the presentation this evening with regard to the Three Rivers Conference that's going to take place at 7:30 at Northern United Place. I'd also like to recognize a former constituent from Aklavik, Bella Husky. Welcome.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

(Translation) Mr. Speaker, we have Peter Huskey of Behchoko. He's in the gallery to listen. I thank him for attending. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Mr. Bryrne Richards of the Tree of Peace, a great advocate and a worker in the addictions field here in the NWT and in a number of other communities in the NWT.

---Applause

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize a former resident of Fort Providence, used to be my neighbour, Evelyn Sabourin, who's now a resident of Yellowknife.

---Applause

Thank you. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we've missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Assembly. I hope you're enjoying the proceedings. It's always nice to have an audience here. Acknowledgements. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.