I want to thank the chair for recognizing me. I just want to make a couple comments.
Fort Smith is a regional centre, and we have no dentists or no dental anything there right now. The dentist that used to come has stopped coming since I think way before Christmas of last year. That's a large community and, you know, we have a lot going on there, and I'm very concerned about the dental services that we need in that community and have, you know, the absence of the oral health that is required and, you know -- and we have to also look at the whole issue of ways of life and people -- people who do -- or have substance abuse. The decay in their -- within their health system is -- it's just not there. They don't -- they have -- they don't -- they're not even covered to get their teeth fixed properly when something -- and they want to change their lifestyle. It's always there. And so, you know, dental health is probably one of the most important things that -- to make sure that a person is healthy and well. It not only affects Indigenous people. It affects everybody. You know, I have a big population in -- in the community of Thebacha and Fort Smith. And dental services are lacking, and we have no -- the chair is there. There's an office there but there's no dentist. And it's a major problem that we face for the community. And so with this, I'm going to be supporting the bill that has -- the Private Member's bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.