Jane Groenewegen

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, Mr. Speaker. We’re having a theme day. I would like to have a theme government. I would like the 16th Legislative Assembly to be remembered as the government that actually put their money where their mouth was in terms of addictions, and I would like to make that the theme of this government going forward. Will the Minister of Health and Social Services support that?

Last week I said that the Minister has definitely assembled the A-Team on this Minister’s Forum on Addictions and I applaud him for that. He said that he wants the recommendations back by March 2013. Again, that is good. We are interested in seeing those recommendations, too, but those recommendations without the resources to carry out those recommendations are not worth the paper they are written on. Unfortunately, as the Members have said here today, we have had too many studies, too many frameworks. We have spent millions of dollars on stuff like this. We need to start spending money on the...

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.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to congratulate the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority for going entirely smoke-free. Of course, smoking has only been allowed outside the Hay River hospital for quite a while now, but it was time to take the next step. Let’s not forget that the main goal here is to help people quit smoking altogether and greatly reduce the risk of cancer, lung disease and heart disease.

There is a lot of help and support available to anyone who wants to quit smoking or kick their tobacco addictions. For starters, telephone counselling and personal support is available...

Return to the preamble and table of contents, Bill 5, Legal Aid Act, as amended.

---Preamble and table of contents approved

The motion is being distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Bill 5, Legal Aid Act, and Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Judicature Act, and would like to report progress with one motion being adopted, and that Bill 7 is ready for third reading, and that Bill 5 is ready for third reading as amended. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.