Debates of May 15, 2007 (day 7)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We are a society of binge drinkers, young drinkers and violent drinkers. The statistics in all these areas in the NWT are at or near the top of the charts of Canadian booze abusers. Our challenge, Mr. Speaker, it has been said many times and it has to be said over and over again, is to refuse to accept this type of behaviour any longer.

Mr. Speaker, there is a relatively new art or science in the way broad-based behaviours like this can be changed. It is called social marketing. It is something we have adopted in other areas. My colleagues have spoken in praise of the Don’t Be a Butthead campaign and there are other things we have done. The Get Active one that just kicked off here today, other campaigns, for instance, more awareness about safe sex, are just the way some campaigns conducted along these lines that change the way society accepts or does not accept these aspects of our daily living. In smoking, for instance.

Whether something is considered normal or acceptable is where we want to focus our attention. It wasn’t that long ago where it was quite normal to smoke, of course, in bars, restaurants and offices, even schools and hospitals. Today, that is very abnormal. When we talk about ways of denormalizing our extraordinarily lenient drinking habits, we are going to need much more emphasis and creativity to show us that we can make responsible decisions for ourselves, that we don’t have to follow the path of our friends, families or others in our community that might be showing. Mr. Speaker, government can make the laws and the policies that will set the limits and send the messages out that we need to change. The policing and courts will enforce and hand out justice. The key role, then, belongs to parents and community leaders, health and education professionals and, most importantly, each and every one of us to help break the devastating cycle of alcohol abuse in Canada’s North.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the first step that we can take will be one that we will do right here on the floor of this Legislative Assembly to resolve to do more than just enough. We have to overcome our own complacency and all the reasons that we can easily find to continue to avoid the crushing burden of alcohol abuse in our society, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause