Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When a life is lost and a community must grieve, it begs the question of why does this have to happen.
The community of Yellowknife last summer lost a vibrant young man to a head injury while he was longboarding. Consequently, this tragedy has spurred a great debate on the personal responsibility of helmet use in road sports, the need for further education but, more importantly, the urging for legislative intervention.
Not that many years ago, our former Premier Stephen Kakfwi was quoted as saying, “We have to step up to the line and account for our inaction.” He was referencing dealing with the owners of snowmobile legislation. As a result, territorial-wide measures were implemented.
There was a time in our generation that even hockey players didn’t wear helmets, yet society today would not even fathom playing the sport without such protection. So why, Mr. Speaker, is society pitted against what would seem a logical move?
I believe the key to answer this question is always linked to enforcement. The debate about where such legislation should be implemented, as for in-house business, may be a bit premature for us now, but what we should be supporting is the ongoing involvement in the proper education programs that offer head and brain injury protection.
I must take a quick moment to thank the years of support by BHP Canada Limited, with Think First Canada and with our own in-house use of Use Your Head Program, which has provided children, youth, parents, schools, recreation providers, health care authorities and communities with information and resources such as helmets. Without such contributions, people impacted the most, due to cost, would have been affected.
I will be asking the Minister of Transportation today about our ongoing education and support on our future initiatives, and the protection and safety of head and brain injury prevention on our roadways. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
