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...

"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. 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...

Masi, Mr. Speaker. The Minister talks about choices. We don't really have many choices here in the Northwest Territories. We have six southern institutions that we send our own people there. They come back. I've witnessed myself, in my region, one individual came back from treatment, ended up back on the street, and unfortunately, the individual passed away this past summer because there was no after-care program. This is a real issue, a real live issue, Mr. Speaker. The Minister talked about the on-the-land treatment program funding. What kind of funding is available compared to the southern...

Obviously, there is a bit of a challenge here to accept that six new southern institutions that we've continued to send our people for some sort of addictions treatment there. People leaving the North, again, funding and money leaving the North, we're talking about millions. We're not talking about ten thousand here and there. Millions, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to know what option is the Minister considering for the return to residential addictions treatment here in the Northwest Territories. Once we had that before, could we have that again in the Northwest Territories?

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...