Alfred Moses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I really don’t know where to begin with this. Obviously, you know where my questions are going. The Minister stated earlier that he doesn’t feel that there’s no better use for the $300,000 for these discussion forums that are going on. I beg to differ, and I’m very concerned, and I do disagree, and I’m sure there are a lot of people in the medical field and justice system that would also be concerned with this attitude, as the Minister of Health and Social Services, that he feels that money cannot be better spent other than talking about what we already know is a...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Standing Committee on Social Programs conducted its public review of Bill 12, An Act to Amend the Human Rights Act, No. 2, on November 1, 2012. The committee thanks the Minister and his staff for presenting the bill. The amendments were made necessary by the federal Safe Streets and Communities Act which set up a system of records suspensions to replace pardons in most instances.

The Canadian Human Rights Act has already been amended to prohibit discrimination based on a conviction for which a records suspension is in place. Bill 12 makes a similar change to our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to make reference to what the Minister said earlier, as well, that we need to get communities committed. Does the Minister not think these communities are committed after listening to the coroner’s report that alcohol-related deaths are at 49 percent, suicides are at 50 percent, accidental deaths are at 76 percent, or homicides? Those stats would make my community committed to getting detox and treatment centres in the communities even more.

Specifically to treatment programs, I would like to ask the Minister of Health what specific programs are not offered...

As I said, he stated earlier that he didn’t feel the money could not be better spent other than talking about what we already know is a concern. With $300,000 we could hire a couple more nurses and designate some beds in the hospitals in Yellowknife and Inuvik or Norman Wells or Hay River for the people who need it. That’s where I’m trying to get the question. It’s very disheartening to sit on this side and listen to the Minister of Health make those comments and let us know that there are no detox beds in the Northwest Territories that he can confirm.

My second question is in terms of the...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Last week the Minister of Health and Social Services made a Minister’s statement on a forum on addictions that happened last Friday here in Yellowknife. In fact, he was quoted on CBC that he said that people say that government doesn’t listen to them. Well, on this side of the House we often get that same type of feeling that government doesn’t listen to what we have to offer.

I believe this is about the third or fourth time we’ve done a theme day here on mental health and addictions. If not one, it was the other. The Minister’s statement last week has sparked a lot of...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Standing Committee on Social Programs conducted its public review of Bill 13, An Act to Repeal the Credit Union Act, on November 1, 2012. The committee thanks the Minister and his staff for presenting the bill.

The Credit Union Act is so out of date that it is inoperative. There have been no credit unions in the Northwest Territories since 1978. Meanwhile, changes to the federal legislation will soon enable NWT-based credit unions and national credit unions to operate here.

Bill 13 also deletes references to the Credit Union Act in two other territorial acts...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have all heard our Members’ statements, questions, the motion brought to the floor about how big of an issue this is to the people of the Northwest Territories. It goes way beyond the walls of the Legislative Assembly and the decisions that are made here. If I’m going to say one thing, and as we keep our fiscal responsibility in place and the status quo for programs and services, what else is going to be put in place for the status quo is the alcohol-related deaths: 49 percent suicides, 57 percent accidental, 76 percent homicides, which today, if actions were taken...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One objective of this 17th Legislative Assembly is to be accountable and informative. That means getting information of our public programs and services out to the communities and the residents. One way of doing that is using media; specifically, the Native Communications Society, which broadcasts to 32 different communities across the Northwest Territories and the three diamond mines. As well, during those programs, they were offering them in five different Aboriginal languages.

In February 2011, the Native Communications Society and the GNWT began producing a 10-minute...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank Member Bisaro and Member Nadli for bringing this motion to the floor. I rise to support the motion as well. All of my colleagues have made really good causes as to why we need this type of service in the Northwest Territories that would provide services to our circumpolar region.

Once again, I thank the Members for bringing this motion to the floor and I support the motion as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister goes on and says it’s a simple question with complicated answers. I can find some simple answers here. We need a detox centre and beds. We need a culturally appropriate treatment centre, mental health workers, and we need to decrease the days needed for people to be sober to gain access to these treatment centres. We also need early childhood programs.

I’d like to ask the Minister, in his discussions in the region, what’s the cost for the Minister and his staff to hold these discussions in the region, because our service providers that are struggling would...