Alfred Moses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize and welcome the social work students here joining us today in today’s proceedings. Specifically, Jolene Donovan and Tanya Snowshoe who are residents from Inuvik. I’d also like to recognize and welcome the Scott family and the Lifeguards for Lodune. Good job on the work that you’re doing. I really appreciate it. And of course, always, Mr. Anthony Whitford. It’s an honour to have you to join us in today’s proceedings. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Social Programs is pleased to provide its report on the review of 12, An Act to Amend the Education Act, and commends it to the House.

The Standing Committee on Social Programs commends the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment for advancing this bill in response to motions passed in this Assembly.

A year and a half ago, MLAs Dolynny and Yakeleya introduced a motion urging the Minister to develop legislation to help stop bullying in the Northwest Territories, supported by a comprehensive awareness campaign.

The motion was passed...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Social Programs conducted its public review of Bill 15, Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act, on September 17, 2013. A clause-by-clause review was conducted the same day.

The committee thanks the Minister and his staff for presenting the bill. The bill requires that all gunshot and stab wounds other than those wounds reasonably believed to be self-inflected or unintentionally inflicted be reported to health facilities and ambulance services that treat those injuries. The bill outlines the information that must be reported and the...

Thank you. In terms of modernizing the agreement, when can we see a copy of that agreement once it’s in draft form, and is the Gwich’in and the other three Aboriginal groups that are affected in the Peel River watershed, will they have some input into this agreement? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, that kind of goes into one of my other questions in terms of funding. This $260,000 for this specific funding, how many communities are going to be able to access that funding for the training specifically for their needs? Can the Minister let me know how many communities this will be applied to or that will be able to utilize that funding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The questions I have today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services in regards to some campaigns. I want to know what is out there for people who are suffering from mental health and addiction disorders that might eventually find where the outcome is suicide.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what partnerships does the government have right now in terms of any kind of helplines that residents of the Northwest Territories can access. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Mental Health Act was first assented in this House in 1985 and there haven’t been any significant amendments to reflect the need that we have in our communities. I know, with the money that the Minister has mentioned, we can’t get into all the communities, so we have to find another way and that is through campaign and awareness.

Can the Minister give me any answers if there are any big suicide-specific campaigns that the department might be coming up with within the next year or in the near future? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, how about in the communities? I know, looking through the department’s website, I was looking for phone numbers, if somebody needs to contact somebody in the community or an isolated community. That’s where we need to get the services into these small communities that are isolated.

Does the Minister have any campaigns or any future work going into the small communities for implementing either an intervention team or a helpline? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to speak on something that has always been near and dear to my heart and that is the mental health and addictions. I know we have been almost beating this to death, I guess you could say, and we do that for a reason, because we want to protect the people of the NWT.

It was great to have the Minister of Justice table in the House yesterday the 2012 coroner’s report. It just so happened that it happened at the same time I decided to do my Member’s statement. However, what I did last night and this morning was I reviewed that report. I just want to share some...

Mr. Speaker, over the last week, since we came back in session, there have been discussions about medical detox and treatment and psychiatrists within the NWT. In the 2002 coroner’s report, the same recommendations came out that we need a detox facility and we need more resident psychiatrists.

I know the Minister can’t speak for all the government, but would the Minister look at seeing what recommendations are made for his department and commit to looking at doing an audit over the last 10 years in which recommendations his department would be able to address and get those addressed? The longer...