Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with all of the illegal drugs that are starting to come out now, the single biggest addiction for years and years has been the abuse of alcohol. Mr. Speaker, every community that we visited over the last two and a half, almost three years that I have been here, almost the single biggest concern in every community has been the abuse of alcohol and the effects on the community and on their lives. I see some communities trying to take some initiatives now in dealing with the problems of alcohol. I think one community introduced prohibition just recently. We wish them luck with that.

Something struck me this summer, Mr. Speaker, as I was driving down to my office at six o’clock in the morning.

Speaker: AN HON. MEMBER

Oooh, hard working.

Michael McLeod

Deh Cho

I noticed more and more people on the streets in Inuvik. That causes me a great deal of concern. They are people that really have no place to go. A lot of them are addicted to alcohol. I am sure many of them would like to seek help. But when you need to get help up in the Beaufort-Delta, you have to leave the Beaufort-Delta.

I go back again to the spring when my Social Programs colleagues and I had an opportunity to visit a camp on the east branch which was being put up by the Nihtat Gwich’in. They are hoping to use this camp to deal with these types of situations where they could have people have a place to stay. They could go there and hopefully turn their lives around and beat their addiction to alcohol. I am sure by having a camp on the east branch would make more people want to go and seek help, especially if they can have the support of family and the community.

As a government, we have to do what we can, Mr. Speaker, to not only encourage these types of initiatives taken on by people regardless of what our report says. People recognize the need for treatment centres and regional treatment centres. I think we should support that. If there is a way that we can support the Nigtat Gwich’in in any way financially to get this camp up and going, and deal with the problem that they recognize, and commend them for recognizing it and taking the initiative, we should back them with all the resources that we can, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause