Jackson Lafferty

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] When we are MLA, we do ask questions. When we speak standing in the House here, it's on behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories. Today, I am asking the Minister of Health and Social Services. There were recommendations made through the TRC. [Translation ends].

Focusing our attention on what is happening today, obviously, we are here to hold government to account. Obviously, we are asking questions on behalf of people of the Northwest Territories. It's not our words. It's their words, trying to get some answers out of the department. I have a different...

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not available].

Mr. Speaker, last week, I asked the Minister of Health and Social Services for a status report on progress relating to a promise made in this House on May 29, 2020, when the former Minister was in charge. The problem was that the department was studying the idea of providing residential addiction treatment here in the Northwest Territories as opposed to sending Northerners to southern institutions. The response last week was that a promise had not been followed up on. In fact, the Minister at that time denied any knowledge of it.

To...

Masi, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, I am not getting anywhere with this. The Premier and the government need to start listening to the people of the Northwest Territories and the Members around the table, here. We are here to make a difference. We have identified 22 mandates. We are not here to dictate and say, "This is good for you." I, for one, feel that our Premier is doing that to our Northwest Territories, that this is good for you and we need to do this. I totally disagree with that process. Again, I'd like to refer back. This Assembly identified 22 priorities to be pursued over the next four...

This is an area that obviously a lot of concern at the community level and public. I did not hear any support from the general public or Aboriginal governments to create an $87-million bureaucracy, $87 million that could be better well spent in housing, lack of teachers, special needs, all those issues at the community level, a real issue, Mr. Speaker. It boggles me that we are creating this "Taj Mahal" bureaucracy. It's unthinkable. Mr. Speaker, this was not part of 22 mandates. Mr. Speaker, did we engage the public prior to the prospect of creating another form of bureaucracy for the COVID...

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] We now have COVID-19, but since there will be a secretariat created with 150 employees at the cost of $86 million, and I want to say a few things regarding that. [Translation ends].

The Premier's allowance of COVID secretariat with 150 new positions at a cost of approximately $87 million to date to the people of the Northwest Territories. Contrary to a sphere of consensus government, the Premier has done so without consulting with Members on this side at the initial stage, Indigenous governments nor the general public, and also the business sector, as well.

Mr...

"Tried" is not good enough. The Minister of Finance made a statement earlier today talking about not directly benefiting all NWT businesses. We can have direct benefits to all NWT businesses if we are open-minded to boost our economy. I'll give you an example. There are 3,000 businesses throughout the Northwest Territories. Out of the $87 million, $87 million in my language is [English translation not available]. That is a lot of money. Seriously, just imagine granting $29,000 to each business in the Northwest Territories. That will cover all Northwest Territories businesses to boost our...

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] The COVID secretariat, I have questions. I had made a previous statement. There is a lot of information that the Northwest Territories do not know about. It is indicated that they will hire 150 new positions and $86 million towards it. [Translation ends]. Mr. Speaker, I wish to question the Premier regarding the new COVID-19 Coordinating Secretariat that will cost us approximately $87 million total today, today's cost. Mr. Speaker, the COVID secretariat is the government's original cost-effective COVID response in favour of burdensome bureaucracy that promises...

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Today in the Northwest Territories, everyone is dealing with the alcohol and drug problem. We do not have a treatment centre in the Northwest Territories. We used to have one, but we no longer have one. Anyone who wants to go to treatment, they go down south, and monies are being spent on it. [Translation ends].

Mr. Speaker, we spent a quarter of a million dollars last year sending Northerners south for residential treatment. This is a leakage of revenue that could have been spent on northern jobs and business opportunities. However, more tragically, it is a...

We have new, I guess, southern institutions that the department is planning to work with. At the same time, given the amount of time that individuals can apply to go to southern institutions there is a waitlist at Poundmaker's of up to six months. If we had that here in the Northwest Territories, utilizing our own people, our elders, our healers, on-the-land program, it would go a long way. The next question I have for the Minister is: since there is no option to consider Northwest Territories residential healing centres here in the Northwest Territories, to what extent has the Indigenous...

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] I made a statement regarding a treatment centre, so I would like to ask Health and Social Services a question. [Translation ends] The Minister of the Health and Social Services department promised to consider [microphone turned off] ...treatment in the territory and followed by mental health and addiction recovery action plan. Mr. Speaker, the TRC's 94 recommendations, number 21, states that: we call upon federal government to provide sustainable funding for Aboriginal healing centres to address physical, mental, emotional, spiritual harms caused by...