Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS Bill C-583, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), is before the House of Commons;

AND WHEREAS Bill C-583 seeks to define fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in the Criminal Code and to allow the courts to order assessments and consider mitigating circumstances where FASD contributes to the offence;

AND WHEREAS fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is an incurable developmental disability resulting from exposure to alcohol before birth;

AND WHEREAS 43 percent of the NWT population regularly consumes five or more drinks per occasion, according to the 2009 Addictions Report;

AND WHEREAS FASD affects hundreds of residents in our territory;

AND WHEREAS individuals affected by FASD have a diminished capacity to grasp the consequences of their own and others’ behaviour;

AND WHEREAS this government and Legislative Assembly have publicly stated our collective commitment to support individuals affected by FASD;

AND WHEREAS this government and Legislative Assembly have an opportunity to urge the Government of Canada to support Bill C-583 and schedule full committee hearings, including the testimony of expert witnesses;

AND WHEREAS this government and Legislative Assembly have an opportunity to collaborate with the governments and Legislative Assemblies of the Yukon and Nunavut to express pan-territorial support for Bill C-583;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Members of this Legislative Assembly strongly urge our federal and territorial counterparts to support Bill C-583 and urge the Parliament of Canada to schedule full committee hearings with testimony of expert witnesses, including at least one hearing in the Northwest Territories;

AND FURTHER, that Members of this Legislative Assembly urge the Member of Parliament for the Western Arctic to support Bill C-583.

Thank you.