Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When we come across a program that is as successful as this one in a community that is so similar to a lot of our communities across the Northwest Territories, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that we should be putting a program like this or something similar into place to affect one of our factors in the health and social services system. Our Health and Social Services budget is the biggest out of our whole government budget. If we can put a crack or dent in that by finding programs such as this that is going to help our people thrive and become part of society, we should do that.
I am in support of this motion. I’m very honoured to second it. Thanks to Mr. Bromley for bringing it forth onto the table. I hope that we do seek such programs so that we can start making our people part of society again. It doesn’t take a very long walk from here to understand the issues that we’re facing here in the Northwest Territories in our regional centres. Inuvik has a big issue. This is one thing that we need to address in Yellowknife as well. It’s a huge issue.
I strongly support this motion and want to once again emphasize something I’ve said time and time again in this House, and that’s dealing with drug dealers and bootleggers. I’ve questioned Ministers on that. I want to address those issues in the communities. The underlying factors that keep our people down are the drug dealers and the bootleggers in our communities. Those are the people that we need to get out of the communities so that our people have a chance to go into programs like this, and not be worried that if they do come out of programs someone is going to be waiting around the corner for them. Those are the guys we need to get out of our communities, out of the territory so that we can be a healthy territory
once again. It’s something that I’ve brought up and something I will continue to fight for over these next four years, that eventually if it’s not in the territory, then hopefully in Inuvik we have a drug-free community.
I do support this motion and I’m very happy to hear that the community of Old Crow has a successful program as this and they’re helping their own people out. We should take the reins and follow suit and help our people out in the Northwest Territories.
I am in support of this motion and I, too, reiterate my fellow colleague Mr. Bromley, that the Premier allows his Cabinet members a free vote on this one. I’m sure that all Members of this House have had somebody with alcohol and drug issues, either a friend, family, a relative, go through the system. It’s not funny. It’s a serious issue. It’s our number one driving force in the health and social services system. That keeps a lot of our people employed to take care of them. I would like to see that today, first time ever, and something that touches everybody.
Thank you, and once again I thank Mr. Bromley for bringing this motion forward.