Jane Groenewegen

I believe that. I have known this Minister and everyone on the other side of the House for a very long time and I do believe that, but it may involve necessarily setting something else that we do and spend money on aside in order to devote the resources that we need to this problem, because this is a pressing and critical problem which is absorbing so much of our resources. If we could curb it and stem it somehow, we could go back to doing those other things.

Will the Minister work with this side of the House to look at what things we now spend money on that are not as high a priority and could...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are, obviously, for the Minister of Health and Social Services. In preamble to my questions I want to say that the Minister of Health and Social Services is not the enemy, the Members on the other side of the House are not the enemy, the issue that we are dealing with is the enemy. I’m sorry. I am sure that there is not one person on that side of the House who does not agree with and relate to almost everything that was said on this side of the House today. This is a collective problem. We have to find a collective solution.

I would like to ask the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our theme today is addiction. Two and a half minutes cannot do this topic any justice because it is a very, very complex topic, but I am hoping that with all the different perspectives of my colleagues here today, we can send a message.

This is a topic I get very frustrated talking about because it doesn’t seem we have a plan, the tools, or maybe even the will to deal with it. I wish we could fully quantify and articulate the impacts substance abuse has on our residents, how many lives cut short. How the quality of life is diminished through the loss, suffering, pain and...

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. To the motion. Any final comments from the mover of the motion? Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. At this time I will call upon the deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Social Programs, who reviewed the bill, to make comments. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. At this time I would like to ask the Minister if he has witnesses that he would like to bring into the Chamber.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the motion. Mr. Abernethy.

Agreed. I’d like to ask the Minister responsible to introduce the bill. Mr. Abernethy.

I’d like to thank the Minister and his witnesses for their help with this bill today. I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms if he would please… Is it the same people for the next one? I don’t know.

The next item on our agenda is Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Judicature Act. I would like to ask Mr. Abernethy if he would, please, like to introduce the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. To the motion. Mr. Yakeleya.